Arak or Araq is a highly alcoholic spirit (~50%-63% Alc. Vol./~100-126 proof) from the anis drinks family. It is a clear, colorless, unsweetened anise-flavored distilled alcoholic drink (also labeled as an Apéritif). It is the traditional alcoholic beverage of Iraq,Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Syria, and is also produced and consumed in other West Asian and South Asia countries.

The word arak comes from Arabic ′araq عرق, meaning "sweat", its pronunciation varies depending on local varieties of Arabic: /ʕaraʔ, ʕaraɡ/. Arak is not to be confused with the similarly named liquor, arrack (which in some cases, such as in Indonesia—especially Bali, also goes by the name arak). Another similarly sounding word is aragh, which in Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia is the colloquial name of vodka, and not an aniseed-flavored drink. Raki, zivania, and ouzo are aniseed-flavored alcoholic drinks, related to arak, popular in Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece, respectively.

A drink, or beverage, is a liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to fulfilling a basic need, drinks form part of the culture of human society.

Despite the fact that all beverages contain water, water itself is not classed as a beverage. The word beverage has always been defined as not referring to water.^{[citation needed]}

An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol, commonly known as alcohol (although in chemistry the definition of "alcohol" includes many other compounds). Beer has been a part of human culture for 8,000 years. In many countries, drinking alcoholic beverages in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition. Asian countries produce several varieties of alcoholic beverages (e.g. rice wine, palm wine, Tongba a millet brew).

A non-alcoholic drink is one that contains little or no alcohol. This category includes low-alcohol beer, non-alcoholic wine, and apple cider if they contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.

The term "soft drink" specifies the absence of alcohol in contrast to "hard drink" and "drink". The term "drink" is neutral but often denotes alcoholic content. Beverages such as soda pop, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, root beer, and fruit punch are the most common soft drinks. Milk, hot chocolate, tea, coffee, milkshakes, and tap water are not considered to be soft drinks. Some carbonated soft drinks are available in versions that are sweetened with a sugar substitute.