Agave tequilana planting these shoots; this has led to a considerable loss of genetic diversity in cultivated blue agave. It is rarely kept as a houseplant, but a 50-year-old blue agave in Boston grew a stalk requiring a hole in the greenhouse roof and flowered in the summer of 2006. Tequila is made only from a specific cultivar of "Agave tequilana" called 'Weber Azul'. This cultivar is larger and blue-gray in color compared to the smaller and green normal "A. tequilana". It is a rapid grower and prolific offsetter in keeping with its agricultural advantages. Tequila is produced by removing the heart
Arak (drink) Arak (drink) Arak or araq is a West Asian distilled spirit (~40–63% alc/vol or ~80–126 proof) in the anise drinks family. It is a translucent white unsweetened anise-flavored drink, which is traditionally made of only two ingredients, grapes and aniseed. Aniseeds are the seeds of the anise plant, and when crushed, their oil provides Arak with a slight licorice taste. Arak is the traditional alcoholic beverage in Western Asia, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well in Iran, Armenia and Lebanon. The word arak comes from Arabic "" , meaning 'perspiration'. Its pronunciation varies depending on local varieties of Arabic: