Israeli vodka is a fairly popular alcoholic beverage. By the way, according to the results of opinion polls, the inhabitants of the Promised Land themselves prefer “fire water” to all alcoholic drinks. Israeli vodka Stopka was very popular in the post-Soviet space. But this is not the first strong alcoholic beverage produced in this area.
A bit of history
Vodka production in Israel began with the Gold Dynasty. Their ancestors at one time engaged in the production of strong drinks in the Russian Empire. To begin with, they founded a distillery in Safed. But his products were so popular that over time he became a huge concern, “Joseph Gold and Sons,” which moved to Tirat Carmel.
The most vivid memory for our people associated with this country is Israeli lemon vodka. But this alcoholic beverage has long been discontinued. However, like Israeli melon vodka.
The first producers of strong alcohol in Israel
The most common strong alcoholic drink in this country is arak (aniseed vodka). In its pure form, it is practically not consumed, only with the addition of water or ice. There are two varieties of this vodka:
- Aluf. The alcohol content in it is 50%.
- Elite This drink is a little lighter, it has a little less alcohol - 40%.
This drink is produced by Yekev A-Galil, a subsidiary of Yosef Gold and Sons.
And the largest and most famous producer of Israeli brandy is Stoke 84. The company was founded in 1884 in Italy. But the branch in Israel opened much later, in 1938, in the city of Ramat Gan. To this day, Stoke 84 is a well-known company, and under its license the Barkan winery produces its products.
Another alcoholic drink known in Israel is Sabra liqueur. Its production was established by Canadian businessman Charles Bronfman in 1963. Liquor is made from kumquat fruits. And in order to get the original drink, the fruit is soaked in a three-year-old brandy. By the way, in Tel Aviv is the Museum of the Land of Israel, one of its exhibits is the Phoenician wine flask. So, the container for Sabra liquor has exactly this form.
The high quality of this alcoholic drink is confirmed by the fact that he received as many as three gold medals at the London exhibition of wines and spirits. Foreign tourists consider this drink a wonderful souvenir.
Israeli vodka paysahovka
This liquor is widely known throughout the world. In Israel, the light Easter holiday is called Passover, and this is the name of the most popular strong alcohol. On the Promised Land on this religious holiday, vodka is not only impossible to drink, it can not even be kept at home these days. But a holiday is a holiday, and the Jews are a very enterprising people. So they came up with a special drink for these days - pussahovka, otherwise it is also called raisin.
Holidays last a whole week in the spring month of Nisan on the fourteenth day. You can’t drink ordinary Israeli vodka in the bright seven days, as it is made from foreign grain raw materials. Another festive drink is cognac, but it must be made in the presence of a rabbi. Although this drink is consumed much less often. Anyway, the favorite for these holidays was always a raisin.
Organoleptic qualities of pacing
This vodka is really worth a try. It is so transparent that it seems like a glass is empty. She does not have a specific taste and smell, like brandy, araki or Russian vodka. It seems that it is even milder than the Israeli vodka with 28 degrees, which everyone remembers from the nineties. The drink has a very pleasant bright aroma, which is difficult to confuse with something. Also, this Israeli vodka has a special unobtrusive taste. Any connoisseur of strong alcoholic drinks will appreciate it.
By the way, during its manufacture should be attended by specialists who strictly control the production process. Moreover, the rabbi must also be obligatory.
How to use
All our compatriots are accustomed to the fact that you need to drink vodka from the freezer. So that the bottle was fogged up, and a tear rolled down it. It is in this form that our strong alcohol gives maximum pleasure.
But this has nothing to do with raisins. If it is cooled very much, then it will lose its taste, and the aroma will become so faded that it cannot be appreciated. That is, the whole charm of an exotic drink will be lost. It must be cooled, but very slightly. The temperature should be slightly lower than room temperature.
Peysakhovka refers to kosher drinks, it should not be drunk, but savored. This drink is poured into small stacks, it is not swallowed immediately, but pre-rolled across the sky, which allows you to open and feel all the shades of an unusual taste.
How to cook raisins
For this drink you will need:
- two kilograms of raisins;
- about ten liters of water;
- about half a glass of sugar.
Tip: grind all the raisins first in a blender or meat grinder. And start preparing the sourdough:
- For this, a gram of two hundred raisins is dipped in a three-liter jar of warm water and a tablespoon of sugar is added there. All this is thoroughly mixed and left for several hours.
- If the fermentation process has begun, then you need to mix all the remaining ingredients and add to them the already obtained sourdough.
- All this will wander for about a month, maybe more. It is better if the process takes place in a large container, which will be filled with a maximum of 75% liquid. So that was where the foam rises.
- When the fermentation process comes to an end, the mash must be passed through a distillation apparatus. And at least three times.
Anise drink
Israeli vodka arak is a strong alcohol flavored with anise. Its taste and production technology are similar to Bulgarian mastic, ouzo Greek vodka, Turkish brandy and Italian sambuca.
The fortress of this Israeli vodka can run up from 40 to 55%. The classic standard arak has a transparent color. But if it is kept in oak barrels, then it acquires a reddish-red tone and will look like brandy or whiskey.
It is extremely rarely made by the Jews themselves, more often it is still made by Lebanese, Jordanian, Tunisian or Moroccan. The name seems to be the same, but everyone makes it in accordance with their national traditions. If Lebanese makes Israeli vodka, then it will be Zarahlavi-style arak, since the city of Zakhla is considered its homeland. Such a drink, like Jordanian, is prepared from grape distillate. But if Tunisians or Moroccans had a hand in the production, then dates will be at the heart of vodka. Accordingly, the aroma and taste of a strong drink, although not much, are different.
How to drink arak
In general, this drink is served diluted with water and ice and is considered an aperitif. That is, it is served before meals, as it perfectly stimulates the appetite. Water in this situation not only reduces the strength, but also reveals the aroma. When diluted, vodka becomes milky white. This will not affect her taste.
Translated from Arabic, “arak” means “sweat” or “sweat”. So unconventionally called a strong drink for a reason. All due to the nature of production. Indeed, during the distillation process, alcohol condensate is released. It turns out that the container seems to be "sweating".