Batavia arrack

Batavia arrack hails from Java, and it is produced from sugarcane molasses, red rice cakes, and occasionally small amounts of toddy—fermented palm juice. Often compared to rum, the drink is quite potent with herbaceous, nutty, smoky, and subtly spicy flavors and aromas.

The exact time when Batavia arrack originated is not known, but it has long been in existence before the Dutch settled East India Company on Java—which makes arrack one of the oldest distillates in the world, and a predecessor to all new world spirits such as gin, whisky, or brandy.

The Dutch started exporting arrack and promoting the drink outside its native country, and throughout the 18th and 19th century, Batavia arrack was considered far superior to Caribbean rum, but it was later overshadowed by its counterpart. In the past, arrack was mainly used as the base for punch, but recently it has been promoted as a suitable cocktail ingredient.

It is also the base for punsch—traditional Swedish arrack-based liqueur. The name Batavia stems from the old colonial Dutch name for Jakarta.