L’Arack De Musar. Chateau Musar, Lebanon

L’Arack de Musar from Château Musar comes from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where the Hochar family has been making wine since 1930. This distinctive arak begins with grape spirit averaging five years old, then undergoes four distillations, with anise seeds added during the final one, before spending a further year resting in traditional terracotta amphorae. At 53% ABV, it is powerful yet surprisingly silky, with fragrant anise, liquorice, fennel and a gently sweet, warming finish. There is no vintage: this is a spirit designed for consistency. Serve traditionally with chilled water, which turns it wonderfully cloudy, alongside mezze, grilled lamb, olives or rich Lebanese dishes.