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For newcomers to Berlin, the city-province with the fewest vacation days of all German states, every vacation is a reason to celebrate. That's especially true next Thursday (May 26, 2022), when Berlin celebrates Father's Day, Men's Day or Ascension Day! name it as you like. These three occasions seem to be completely independent of each other and only intersect on this day. Also, in the eyes of many, the joyous celebrations in the streets, the beer-drinking, and the parties don't have much to do with what we know about the church and religious occasions, which makes the reason for the...

Arak is an intensely flavored liqueur that has a tradition in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Arak is traditionally made from only two ingredients: Grapes (usually Obeidy grapes) and anise seeds it is best compared to Anis-liquor/Anischnapps. The production begins in the vineyards, where high-quality vines are the key to making good Arak. The vines should be very mature and usually golden in color. The vineyards are not irrigated but left to the rainfed agriculture, taking advantage of the natural rain and sun. The grapes, harvested at the end of September and October, are pressed and put into barrels together with the...

In the oldest myths, wine appears as a divine drink that accompanies man from the moment of his creation. Thus, the Babylonian myth shows how the gods celebrated the god Enki's creation for man and celebrated a great feast where they drank wine at a banquet. This ancient mythical appearance of wine shows how wine is rooted in the human subconscious. The archaeological evidence of grape wine from modern Georgia between 5800-6000 BC and the oldest known winery in the world is the Arni Cave in Armenia, dating back to 4100 BC, proofs this rooting in our humankind. On the...

For the many people who did not grow up in homes where Arak is traditionally produced, it is normal to wonder about the differences between the various types and the different tastes. Despite the high alcohol content in Arak, it is more difficult to distinguish between its varieties than with the less alcoholic wines.  Experienced drinkers differentiate between most sorts of Arak since the number of distillation times leads to different tests and alcohol percentages. The lighter Arak with the lowest percentage of alcohol is the Arak distilled once. As for the native ethnicity that everyone accepts, it is the...