Okolehao

Okolehao is an alcoholic spirit whose main ingredient is the root of the Ti plant. Okolehao is also called 'oke' by the Native Hawaiians whose ancestors were the first to make it prior to contact with western explorers, missionaries, and seamen. Okolehao started out as a beer and when distillation techniques were introduced by English seamen, it was distilled into a high proof spirit. Hawaiians discovered that if you baked the ti root a sweet liquid migrated to the surface of the root. They did not know that chemically, the heat changed the starch in the root to a fermentable sugar. The baked root was then soaked in a vat of water which dissolved the sugar and fermentation began to take place. The beer was later distilled into a high proof spirit which was prized by the king.

History

Over the years the local folks continued to produce okolehao beer and distillates. When sugar cane was introduced to the islands, Hawaiians added sugar as another fermentable. When pineapple was introduced, this too was added for its sugar content. Taro, another fermentable starch, was also added along the way. When the Japanese and Chinese immigrants arrived to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields they brought with them their native rice. The propagated rice was also added to the formula. By the beginning of World War II, the locals were producing okolehao of various formulations, all of which were sold to US military personnel located at the many bases in Hawaii. Spirit alcohol made from grains was rationed during the war and used for fuel by the various military forces. The resulting shortage was good for okolehao sales. When the war was over, the production of okolehao gradually died out as rum and vodka became readily available and better tasting than the crude native okolehao.

Just as moonshine on the mainland was produced using various formulas, okolehao was produced using various fermentable ingredients. The more raw sugar used, the better the okolehao. Aging in used whiskey barrels also improved the flavor.

Current production

Today, okolehao, Hawaiian moonshine, is still produced illegally in small quantities. There is currently no commercial production of "real" okolehao. One small distillery on Maui, Haleakala Distillers^[1] makes an okolehao liqueur. There have been several past and recent productions of an okolehao "liqueur" which is made by blending extracts of ti plant root, or ground up and emulsified ti root, with sugar syrup, rum, neutral spirits, bourbon, and other artificial and natural flavorings. Liqueurs are generally sweet form the heavy sugar addition and are considered rectified spirits and not distilled spirits. Another example of an Hawaiian style "liqueur" would be the popular Macadamia Nut liqueur made with neutral spirits, sugar syrup, and artificial and natural colors and flavorings. These "liqueur" products are generally sweet, between 60 and 80 proof, and taste much like a sweet fruit brandy. True or original style okolehao generally had a random proof of 85 proof to 100 proof. Since it was illegally produced, the proof was dependent on the efficiency of the distillation process. The finished product was determined at the point the moonshiner decided that their okolehao had the right "hit" or "punch". Some full strength okolehaos were and are made at a proof up to 130 proof, 65% alcohol by volume, the proof obtainable by most illegal pot stills in a single pass.

While the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco, now the TTB, once recognized okolehao as a unique class, like vodka, gin, bourbon, tequila, whiskey, liqueur, etc., it is now recognized as a distilled specialty spirit (DSS), which requires the producer or distiller to include the exact ingredients and general formula on the label.

For the short time okolehao was legally made in Hawaii after the war and into the sixties, the State of Hawaii granted okolehao a reduced tax rate to assist in its appeal and cost. That reduced tax was ruled by the Federal Government to be illegal due to discriminatory taxation of a spirit product.

Description

"Original", "real" okolehao had and has (current moonshine) a unique taste, such taste depending upon whether it was aged in used oak barrels and for the length of time it was aged. The longer the aging process the mellower it becomes. At the same time the longer it is aged in wood the woodier it becomes, which is generally not considered desirable. Its aging profile is very similar to that of dark rum. The real or original okolehao can best be described as tasting like medium bodied neutral rum with a tinge of tequila flavor, and a nose of rum, sake and pineapple. Therefore, it does not resemble any other familiar spirit flavor profile.^[2]

References

1. ^ Okolehao: Maui distillery serves up a sip of history, Maui News, 12/09
2. ^ http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/okolehao/Detail.aspx citing The New Food Lover's Companion, 3rd edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst, published by Barron's Educational Series, Inc

External links

• Haleakala Distillers
• Haleakala Distillers Okolehao Liqueur