Traditional Balinese arak was characteristically distilled in clay pots over open fires, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural significance. Photo / Four Seasons
Traditional Balinese arak was characteristically distilled in clay pots over open fires, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural significance. Photo / Four Seasons
You’ve tasted sake in Japan, ouzo in Greece and now it’s time for arak. Bali may be famous for its beaches but it’s the local homebrew that’s on the brink of a comeback, writes Tamara Hinson.
At Potato Head Bali, the legendary beach club-turned-hotel, Balinese bartender BinaNuraga is on a mission. The objective? To transform Bali’s national drink, arak, from a partygoers’ preferred poison to something far more respectable. This is a drink with a stigma. It’s strong and it’s potent but Nuraga is determined to change its bad boy reputation.
Fortunately, Nuraga has the government on side.
In 2020, Balinese governor I Wayan Koster imposed legal regulations which meant that restaurants, bars and stores could only sell arak made by licensed producers adhering to strict regulations. Previously, arak was revered but unregulated, a homebrew drunk by locals and used during various ceremonies. Every Balinese village has at least one community distiller, typically producing arak in clay pots over open fires, but problems arose when unscrupulous distillers started flogging arak to tourists. There was little consistency but lots of alcohol (the ABV was often over 50 per cent) and numerous tourists ended up in hospital. Koster, an arak fan who has raved about the medicinal benefits of drinking two shots a day and recently declared 29 January “Balinese arak day”, was keen to transform its reputation through regulation, positioning it as a drink with heritage, such as sake.
Modern arak bottles are printed with vibrant imagery, such as the Barong from Balinese mythology. Photo / Tamara Hinson
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What Bali’s homebrewers would make of the kit at the Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay’s Telu Bar remains to be seen. In bar manager Jan’s Willy Wonka-esque arak cellar, used for arak tastings, I spot a rotary evaporator, used to infuse spirits with delicate ingredients at low temperatures. Jan didn’t grow up around arak but his passion reminds me that this revered liquid is worlds away from the cheap vodka Bali-bound tourists are more familiar with. Recently, Jan visited a community distiller. “I literally just went to someone’s home and there it was – bamboo pipes and a clay pot over an open fire,” says Jan. “These distillers are incredibly proud – they’ll talk about how their grandparents made it the same way.”
The Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay's Telu Bar features a high-tech arak cellar, which is in stark contrast to traditional methods. Photo / Four Seasons
Community distillers can still operate, but bars and shops can only sell arak produced by licensed distillers, and officials regularly conduct inspections. And while regulated distillers are relative newcomers, certain production techniques remain unchanged. Take the arak made from coconut flower sap, which is deliciously aromatic, with a delicate sweetness rare in spirits of this strength (regulated araks generally have an ABV of between 33 and 45 per cent).
“The sap must be taken from flowers still attached to the palm, and farmers climb it twice a day, at dusk and dawn,” says Jan. The other type you’re most likely to find in Bali is rice arak, which has certain similarities to sake. However arak, unlike sake, is distilled and doesn’t rely on exposure to koji fungus. Arak is an incredibly versatile spirit, and a whole new generation of producers is keen to experiment, proof of which is the barrel-aged arak Jan shows me.
Potato Head Bali has undertaken the mission to refine arak's reputation at their Akademi Bar. Photo / Denny Novikar
Back at Potato Head, the araks served at the resort’s Akademi Bar are much more palatable, and there’s a delicious sweetness to the rice arak I try. The bar is famous for its infusions – araks infused with ingredients such as orange, and there are plans to create infusions with spices and herbs. The citrus-infused araks are apparently the most popular. “Anything aromatic, whether it’s grapefruit or orange, works well for infusions,” says Bina, who wasn’t initially a fan of arak, simply because homebrewed versions were so strong. “When I was younger all my friends drank it, and they’d have awful hangovers!”
For others - like Kadi, bartender extraordinaire at the Ayana Resort and Spa’s Rock Bar – arak has always been a part of their lives. “My grandfather drank one shot every day,” says Kadi, who adds that the most popular arak cocktail is a concoction similar to a screwdriver. Kadi isn’t the only bartender creating a new generation of arak fans with modern twists on classic cocktails. At the Anantara Uluwatu, where arak hours now replace happy hours, the most popular tipple is a kulawarge, similar to a negroni. Mixologist Mr Widi raves about arak’s medicinal purposes. “Balinese people will have a shot or two on cold nights, and sometime before bed – it helps us sleep.”
Infused araks are now proving popular with tourists. Photo / Supplied
Arak bottles now fill Bali’s grocery stores, too. In one off-licence, shop assistant Putu tells me that the most popular brand is Arak Bali, a rice-distilled arak made in southern Bali. With an ABV of 40 per cent, it’s drinkable, not deadly. Many bottles feature colourful images of Barong, a fearsome creature from Balinese mythology, while others have labels bearing information about events at which arak is traditionally used, such as Nyepi, the Hindu Balinese New Year. When Arak became regulated, the Government encouraged producers to adorn bottles with traditional images to reinforce arak’s national identity.
Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay is pushing the boundaries of arak appreciation, blending heritage with modern tasting experiences in their specialized arak cellar. Photo / Supplied
Recently, several bars specialising in arak have sprung up. One is North Kuta’s Bali Boozy. “As a Balinese, I’m really proud that we’ve got our own traditional drink,” says co-owner Borty, who says those sampling arak for the first time should try the Manusia Pulau cocktail. “It’s a tropical cocktail made with arak, pineapple and guava, and it’s got a wonderful aroma of roasted coconut. It’s the flavour of Bali” says Borty. I suspect Bali governor I Wayan Koster would very much agree.
For more things to see, do and drink in Bali, visit balitourismboard.org
