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Arak Bali’s fight for recognition
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Social life: In Bali, arak is an inextricable part of social, religious and contemporary life. (Courtesy of Twalen Spirit) (Courtesy of Twalen Spirit/Courtesy of Twalen Spirit)
I
n the past two years, arak Bali has grown from a drink with a sinister reputation to an acclaimed product gifted to foreign dignitaries. What’s the story?
On most days, you will find Ida Ayu Puspa Eny receiving an unending barrage of guests at her cozy Denpasar home. Should you catch her on a good day, the retired journalist will hand you a glass and direct you to her living room.
Instead of comfortable chairs, you will find rows upon rows of glass dispensers filled with multicolored stashes of steeped, blended arak—a Balinese liquor and a specialty of hers. Take a sip of each one, and prepare for liftoff.
“This is something familiar to all Balinese,” Bu Dayu said, as she’s often called. “We’re carrying on our ancestors’ legacy.”
Things are picking up for Dayu, and she is enjoying the ride. Her steeped arak brand, Iwak Arumery, has risen from a homemade liquor enjoyed by close friends and neighbors to a glossily packaged brand gifted to foreign dignitaries at Group of 20 meetings.
The Arak Bali Cooperative’s Association, of which she’s the head, counts among its members 10,000 arak makers from Bali alone, producing 2 million liters of the heady liquor each year. And she predicts the membership will continue to rise.
Dayu is not the only arak maker enjoying a well-deserved summer. Over the past two years, the Balinese arak scene has shifted from an underground market with a fatal reputation into a growing ecosystem of internationally acclaimed artisans.
