Palo (drink)
Palo ( German: "Stock") or Chinese wine is a sweet, creamy, dark herbal liqueur from Mallorca . The name Palo comes from the name Palo Quina for the cinchona bark from South America .
Quality regulations
Sensory properties
Palo is dark, almost black in color, viscous and thick. If you stir it in the glass, a fine, caramel-colored layer is deposited on the walls, which is initially smooth and even, but after a short time, as soon as the alcohol has evaporated, clearly defined streaks that stick and after a long time even one Make kind of paste.
It's fragrant, but not excessive. You can mainly taste the aroma of alcohol and caramel and perceive an indefinable note of wood, which some describe as a liquorice taste. On the palate, it creates a complex variety of flavors due to the simultaneity of the impressions gained. At the beginning there is a sweet taste, which is soon followed by the burning of the alcohol and which is then rounded off by a bitter aftertaste, which is created by both the plant extracts and the caramel sugar. The aftertaste in the mouth remains for a long time: First the impression of the alcohol dissolves, then the sweetness and finally the memory of the bitter remains.
Chemical properties of the Palo de Mallorca
The regulations for the designation of origin Palo de Mallorca provide for the following physio-chemical properties:
- Alcohol content: 25-36% by volume
- Sugar content: 300–500 g / l
- Relative density (20 ° C): 1.1200-1.1780 g / ml
- Max. Methanol content: 1 g / l
- Maximum content of heavy metals: 40 ppm (lead content)
Manufacturing
The production area of the Palo de Mallorca is the island of Mallorca.
According to the provisions on the designation of origin, the Palo de Mallorca is mainly obtained from the soaking of cinchona bark and gentian in vegetable-made ethyl alcohol and water. However, it can also be made by boiling cinchona bark, gentian and water with subsequent addition of alcohol. Sucrose dissolved in water and caramelized sugar are then added to this infusion.
A total of 8 manufacturers are listed in the register. In 2006 , 120,754 liters were produced.
raw materials
The raw materials used to make the Palo de Mallorca are:
- Cinchona bark: bark of various tree species of the species Cinchona ,
- Gentian: dried roots of the evergreen plant Gentiana lutea L.,
- Alcohol: Ethanol obtained from distillation and / or rectification from previously fermented plants,
- any form of sucrose suitable as food .
Neither essential oils nor artificial colors are added. The only colorants that can be used are infusions or fermentations of natural products or caramel sugar.
Control system
In order to be allowed to use the name Palo de Mallorca on the label, the producers of the palo liqueur must be registered in the register of origin, which is subordinate to the Higher Administration for Agriculture of the Office for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Balearic Government. (Provision: Order Ministerial 4-7-1994, BOE 13-7-1004)
In addition, it is necessary to comply with a number of provisions previously approved by the Agricultural Administration, which guarantee the identification and traceability of alcoholic beverages sold under the Palo de Mallorca Designation of Origin . Once a year, the liqueur manufacturers have to submit a prescribed form with a declaration to the regional administration for agriculture, in which the stocks, products and sales (production volume) are documented. Production and bottling takes place exclusively on the island of Mallorca.