What will you drink on Pesach? - Travel Features - Israel travel and tourism

The laws of kashrut for Pesach greatly reduce the choice of alcohol on offer. We checked for you which drinks are kosher and found some that aren?t bad at all.

Pesach has earned itself a bad name without good reason. Why? Because everybody knows that when there is no bread, you eat cake instead. Kosher for Pesach alcohol conjures up that nauseous feeling. Years of cheap wine has left Israelis with the trauma of wandering in the desert for forty years. Today, with our little country's more developed drinks market, it is possible to find a generous range of quality alcohol, abundant blue and white produce (yes, you read it correctly-Israeli quality) approved by the Rabbinate for consumption on Pesach.

Strictly Kosher alcohol:

Arak: This popular drink has become a Pesach classic. Egyptian Arak is fermented and distilled with grapes or dates and the resulting liquid has an aniseed flavor. In Israel, we pay strict attention to the kashrut process in the factories that produce the Arak and so it is easy to find different kosher versions of the drink even during Pesach.

Vodka: Once they made vodka from potatoes. That was in the past; today, nearly every vodka whose name you try to pronounce is 'chametz' (leavened) because cereals are fermented and distilled during the preparation process. In any case, it is still possible to find within the vodka market, those which are prepared using kosher for Pesach produce such as grapes and potatoes.

Limoncello: surprisingly, this quality, Italian lemon liqueur from "Villa Massa", prides itself on its bottle adorned with a kosher stamp. This sweet and sour frozen chaser acts as the prefect accompaniment for the traditional Seder night compote.

Y chilli: One of the core innovations in the drinks' market has appeared over the past few years thanks to two Israeli companies who had fun in seasoning alcohol with a generous dose of chilli. They succeeded in concocting a spicy and extremely tasty liqueur with cinnamon aromatic flavors, pepper and a large amount of chilli that burns the palate and the frightening memory of gefilte fish. Drink Y as a frozen shot or chaser.

Buca: The time has arrived for you to become acquainted with the drink well-known amongst Tunisians. Buca is distilled from figs and spices, a strong drink poured into a frozen glass; there are those who store the whole bottle in the freezer. The drink's special trademark is owed to the Tunisian Bokobsa family who produce it according to Jewish tradition dating back to the year 1870. The family extended its production of the drink into France, where they produce kosher wines and even the only kosher Cognac.

Brandy: There is no doubt that the manufacturers of European cognac and brandy are anti-Semites who are trying to kill us. Tell me, don't you have a heart? After everything that you did, you are still trying to force us to drink brandy made in Israel? What do you care if a Rabbi wanders around the winery looking for chametz? If you think that this will destroy the cognac, you would be right, proof of which is found on our shelves. The main thing is that it's kosher for Pesach.

Beer: Beer cannot be kosher for Pesach. Is that really true? New Grist is a type of ale made from Sorghum, rice, hops and water. It is produced in the United States and over there is largely consumed by sufferers of Celiac Disease who are allergic to gluten, but here, it has become a surprising option for those who keep Pesach. It does not have a kashrut stamp and although the 'Black Bar 'n' Burger' restaurant chain that sells it claims that it does not contain any chametz, we are not convinced. Yet, we are sure that the next beer-Passover Honey Beer, made in New York and based on honey, does not include any cereal whatsoever and even received authorization from the local Rabbinate. If you are by chance in New York, you will have won twice over.

City Mouse Guide (www.mouse.co.il)