ARACK, ARACK, OR RACK, a spirituous liquor imported from the East Indies, used by way of dram and in punch. The word arack is an Indian name for strong waters of all kinds; for they call our spirits and brandy English arack. But what we understand by the name arack, is really no other than a spirit procured by distillation from a vegetable juice called toddy, which flows by incision out of the cocoa-nut tree, like the birch juice procured among us.
The toddy is a pleasant drink by itself, when new, and purges those who are not used to it; and, when stale, it is heady, and makes good vinegar. The English at Madras use it as leaven to raise their bread with.
Goa and Batavia are the chief places for arack. At Goa there are different kinds; single, double, and treble distilled. The double distilled, which is that commonly sent abroad, is but a weak spirit in comparison to Batavia arack: yet, on account of its peculiar and agreeable flavour, it is preferred to all other aracks of India. This is attributed to the earthen vessels, which alone they use at Goa to draw the spirit; whereas at Batavia they use copper stills. The Parier arack made at Madras, and the Columbo and Quilone arack at other places, being fiery hot spirits, are but little valued by the Europeans, and therefore seldom imported, though highly prized among the natives.