Arrack refers to a diverse group of distilled alcoholic beverages commonly produced in Sri Lanka, India, and some parts of Southeast Asia. The Sri Lankans distill it exclusively with sap or toddy of the coconut flower. But across the Palk Strait, in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, arrack is largely made from sugarcane, jaggery, grains such as red rice, and fruits.

– Kerala, especially, had a fondness for arrack until it was banned in 1996 by then chief minister A K Anthony, after several cases of tipplers losing their eyesight and lives after imbibing spurious liquor.

Despite the ban, the common man’s tipple is still distilled in several parts of the state.

Over the last couple of years, a clutch of companies have been tapping into the Malayali diaspora’s collective nostalgia for country liquor by distilling it abroad. In fact, it's now being bolstered by crores of rupees of angel investments! Watch

#kerala #arrack #middleeast


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