Aguardiente

Aguardiente (Spanish) or Aguardente (Portuguese) is the generic name in Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries for spirits between 40 and 45 percent alcohol by volume . The name is made up of the words agua (= water) and ardiente or ardente (= burning). These are obtained by means of distillation from wine, grain, fruits or seeds, for example from anise, grapes or cherries.

Brazil

A selection of well-known cachaça brands

In Brazil, aguardente is made predominantly from sugar cane and is then called cachaça . A vast number of large and small producers distill cachaça across the country, especially in the states of Bahia , Minas Gerais , Rio de Janeiro , Pernambuco and Alagoas .

In Europe, brands such as Pirassununga (Cachaça 51), Pitú , Velho Barreiro, Nêga Fulô and Ypióca are known. Traditionally made cachaça are not found that often in Europe, the Canario brand is the best known in this area.

Colombia

In Colombia , aguardiente is a schnapps made from aniseed and sugar cane that is around 29 percent by volume. The rights to the distilling of the Aguardientes are held by the departments (provinces), but marketing may be supraregional. For some years now, Aguardiente has also been sold in tetrapaks of 0.25 and 1 liter in addition to glass bottles in order to reduce the risk of injury and to prevent empty bottles from being filled with self-made alcohol and sold as Aguardiente. Some varieties are also available in plastic bottles.
Due to the variety of flavors, the Aguardiente market in Colombia is highly competitive. Manufacturers are trying to defend their market shares with new creations such as light aguardiente or additionally flavored varieties.

Some famous Aguardiente brands are:

Different aguardiente bottles

• Antioqueño from Antioquia
• Blanco del Valle, Valle del Cauca
• Cristal, Caldas
• Doble Anís ( Huila )
• Líder ( Boyacá )
• Llanero ( meta )
• Nariño ( Nariño )
• Nectar ( Cundinamarca )
• Quindiano ( Quindío )
• Superior ( Santander )
• Tapa Roja ( Tolima )

Portugal

Medronho selection in a shop in Monchique in the Algarve

In Portugal, a wide variety of aguardentes are distilled across the country, from small home distilleries to large distilleries. One of the most popular variants among the Aguardentes is the Aguardente bagaceira , commonly known as Bagaço . The Bagaço is often drunk as an ingredient Cheirinho ( Portuguese for scent ) in the Bica , the Portuguese espresso. The Bagaço is made from the marc in winemaking .

Bagaço is also made from wine, technically usually called Aguardente vínica . Similar to French cognac, it is often aged in oak barrels and then takes on a golden yellow color. It is offered in stores as Aguardente velha .

The Aguardente de Medronho , known as Medronho , is made from the fruits of the strawberry tree in the south of the country, especially in the Algarve .

Web links

Commons : Aguardiente  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Fábrica de Licores y Alcoholes de Antioquia ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Industria de Licores del Valle
3. ^ Industria Licorera de Caldas