Holy shit, is this stuff good. I bought some on a whim because it was $20 and 100 proof, which is cheap by Canadian standards. It's called Gantous & Abou somethingorother and it's from Lebanon. Totally amazing.
It's nothing like slivovice or grappa or raki or anything. It actually tastes kind of like absinthe, except it turns white instead of green. It has the same basic anise flavour as all those liquors, but there's no added sugar. There's a pleasant spice to it.
Yep, we had some at our wedding. Someone brought a bottle for all the men (it was a Sephardic Jewish wedding), and I said if I'm marrying this guy, I get to drink, too. It was good stuff. We also got a bottle of Sabra chocolate orange liqueur, and it is SO good.
I live in Jordan so arak is widely available here.
I drank it socially before during a BBQ (it was fish) and I couldn't think about a drink more suited to go with that.
I never got really drunk on it though, not before tonight. I picked up a fifth of Layali Loubnan (Lebanese Nights) and I'll drink it tonight. I'm curious as to what it feels like. This one is at 50% ABV. It cost me €12 ($15) but you can get it cheaper in more popular areas.