WHEN a renowned Iranian artist hosted friends at his apartment in Teheran last month, he served, as he did often, a bottle of homemade aragh, a traditional Iranian vodka distilled from raisins, that he had secured from a trusted dealer.
Despite the total ban imposed by the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution, local bootleggers have flourished, but this has left consumers vulnerable to adulterated products. With scores of people poisoned in recent weeks, reformers want Iran to adopt the approach of the United Arab Emirates, but hardliners say no.