Greetings from Lebanon

[LB Miles]

Hi all, miles here.

Made the mistake of trying to post somewhere else before posting my intro.

Don’t know where to start, since most people tend to make it short and concise, I'm not sure.

I'm from Lebanon, the land of Arak.

I've done the mandatory reading, then read some more.
I was initially pointed here just to read the famous flute talk thread, which I've yet to finish, and with 30 tabs of HD open on my browser at anytime jumping from thread to thread by reference, I'm still a ways off to go.

A university student, jobless bartender. Tinkering mixologist. I scour the web learning food science to make better drinks. Because a good round of drinks is like a campfire, it brings people closer together. It's an art.

Since I've had some experience with a simple hydrosol still, and since I've found threads on the topic, I decided to register on the site and chime in even through I've never owned or ran a booze still on my own.

And If all goes well in the next few months I'm planning on building a still of my own somewhere down the line in the upcoming year.

The thing is, theory is important, and I'm planning on learning a whole lot of booze making theory long before I need to start to practice.

Then maybe one day I'll have enough experience to help others and be of service just as the amazing people here are doing now.

Thank you all!

[Bushman]

Welcome and I would like to add a great introduction. I am looking forward to your positive contributions to this forum as you gain experience.

[LB Miles]

Welcome and I would like to add a great introduction. I am looking forward to your positive contributions to this forum as you gain experience.

Thank you!

[v-child]

Welcome! What are the rules in Lebanon concerning distillation of spirits?

[LB Miles]

Welcome! What are the rules in Lebanon concerning distillation of spirits?

I don't know about any specific laws, but I would say pretty much non-existent.

Anyone who wants to distill anything can do so, but no one can sell through retailers like supermarkets and liquor stores without a license.

So if I were for example to sell booze online, as long as I deliver directly to the customer and not through a physical location, then I'm free to do whatever I wish. The tricky part is to trademark one's brand name, so that would require to register as a small business and file for, I'm not sure if you would call it a patent (English is my third language) to prevent someone from stealing one's product names (intellectual property) so in a way, it's not absolute chaos, but the lack of laws that adress alcohol production, consumption and sale is abused by everyone.

Many big families have at least someone who makes arak (our national alcoholic beverage, which is grape brandy flavored with aniseed, diluted with water upon serving, it brings the aniseed oils out of suspension and creates an opalescent effect) and that is for 'personal use' for the whole family.

When it comes to drinking age, well there are no laws to adress that because Lebanon has such a melting pot of different religions.

But social norms do exist and generally, it's not uncommon for parents allow their children to have a beer by the age of 16. But no one can stop a young teen from entering a supermarket and buying a bottle of vodka to enjoy with their friends in secret. When it comes to night clubs and pubs, they're generally either 18+ or 21+ so it would be hard for a minor to sneak in in that case.

I myself had my first beer at around 15, and started tinkering with cocktails at around 16 for the fun of it.
Then it became a passion for the sake of the art itself.

So regarding the above mentioned subject, I'm just about to make liqueurs and syrups for the upcoming holiday season, and if all goes well I might keep going, then instead of buying neutral to make liqueurs I could build a small still and make my own.
Though that is not the only reason, I just spent 2 years honing my mixology skills So building a still would allow me to experiment with a whole lot more stuff. But it's always about the art and doing something I'm happy with first.

I'm not sure if anything I've mentioned might have in any way been unfit to post, so please excuse me in that case, and simply delete it and inform me as to what I said wrong.

[Demy]

Welcome!

[v-child]

Good deal. Most of live in regions that either outlaw or frown on the act of distilling wines and such. Some countries don't have an issue with it at all. We just have to be careful and not expose ourselves to the eyes of the law. Just be careful and enjoy the sport. As far as saying anything unfit to post, nobody will have much issue unless we cross the boundary of religion or politics. Again, welcome aboard!

[Tummydoc]

Welcome. Your english is excellent, hope you spirits will be also. If your goal is a neutral, you'll want a still capable of reflux.

[LB Miles]

Thank you all for your warm welcome! I appreciate it a lot. This atmosphere of kindness is what made me decide to join as a member as I read more and more throughout the forum.

Thanks Tummydoc, as for making alcohol, well I hope it won't be long before I can get my hands on a proper copper still. For now though all I can contribute to is the hydrosol section of the forum.

I've also noticed a cocktails section if I remember correctly, so maybe I can contribute to that as well!


Miles

[HDNB]

Hi, Welcome. i have to draw to your attention to our rules, which you can find a link to, on the bottom of this page.

We don't discuss the sale, barter or trade for profit of booze here as it is illegal basically everywhere...except Lebanon apparently. None the less, please observe the rule of the site.

I have some good friends from Lebanon, with whom i usually get to share a meal with at Khoury's restaurant in Las Vegas when we meet up there once a year. They tell me it is the best Mediterranean food on this side of the planet, all very traditional and served in a traditional way. Of course the Arak flows freely! The food is tremendously good and i love the many flavours of what is pretty exotic food for me...for you it's probably sunday dinner!

[LB Miles]

HNDB,

Please excuse me as it wasn't my intention to break any rules. As for the rest, I don't know what to say. I'm glad that you like our cuisine. Thank you, I guess.


Miles

[oluf]

Your written english as a 3rd language is better than many as their first! Welcome to the board!

[LB Miles]

Thanks oluf, it sure is a result of much practice. I kind of prefer English to my mother tongue (Arabic), and French, which we are forced to learn in school as kids.

[Dewstiller]

Welcome to the forum.

I had a Lebanese friend years ago and his uncle would always bring few bottles of some Lebanese moonshine when he visited. They called it "aahhda, cauda?" something similar to that sound from what I recall. I was fairly young at the time and remember it being a bit rough... I recall it tasing like Anis and Liquorice.

[LB Miles]

Welcome to the forum.

I had a Lebanese friend years ago and his uncle would always bring few bottles of some Lebanese moonshine when he visited. They called it "aahhda, cauda?" something similar to that sound from what I recall. I was fairly young at the time and remember it being a bit rough... I recall it tasing like Anis and Liquorice.

Dewstiller, you are correct. Lebanese 'moonshine' Arak, is served in small glasses called kadah (yep its hard to pronounce or even spell out since not all the necessary letters exist in the latin alphabet)


Miles