- Aguardiente/Aguardente
Aguardiente (Spanish), aguardente (Portuguese) or augardente (Galician) is the generic name for alcoholic drinks between 29 and 45 percent alcohol, meaning "firewater", or, literally "burning water" ["aguardiente. (De agua y ardiente)" - Real Academia Española dictionary, 22nd edition [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&LEMA=aguardiente] ] . The word itself is a
portmanteau of "agua" and "ardiente."Definition
By definition, aguardientes are strongly alcoholic beverages, obtained by
fermentation and laterdistillation or sugared or sweet musts, vegetable macerations, or mixtures of the two. This is the most generic level; by this definition aguardientes may be made from a number of different sources. Fruit-based aguardientes include those made fromoranges ,grapes ,bananas , or madronho. Grain-based ones may be made frommillet ,barley , orrice and tuber-based aguardientes frombeet ,manioc , orpotato , and finally what are classed as "true" aguardientes fromsugarcane and other sweet canes including some species ofbamboo . Under this definition, many other distinct liquors could be called aguardientes, includingVodka ,Sake ,Pisco , and certain forms of hardChicha .On 14 November, 1996, it was concluded in analysisfact|date=August 2008 that Cane Aguardiente and Cachaça are similar but distinct products. Cane Aguardiente was thereafter defined in Brazil as an alcoholic beverage of between 38% and 54% alcohol by volume, obtained by simple fermentation and distillation of sugarcane, which may have added sugar up to 6 g/L. Cachaça, on the other hand, is an alcoholic beverage of between 38% and 48% alcohol by volume, obtained by fermentation and distillation of select sugarcane that has already been used in the sugar-production process, and which has distinct flavour similar to
rum .Origins
"This is a condensed version, for the complete history please see the main article
History of alcohol "Some histories state that the
Egyptians were the first to use fermented liquors, as cures for diverse medical conditions. The ancientGreeks however, pioneered the process of creating and distilling "ácqua ardens". Greek aguardientes were created by distilling wine; the Treaty of the Sciences, written byPliny , contains a fragment of the original recipes as well as the process of distillation using Cedar balsam. Later, the Egyptians developed the firstalambic s, the designs of which adorn the walls of the temple at Memphis. TheArabic language gives us the words "alambic" (al 'ambic, or glass of distillation) and "alcohol" (al 'cohol, the vapours of distillation.) The expansion of theRoman Empire brought aguardiente toEurope and theMiddle East and aguardiente became the base of alchemicalelixir s such as the Elixer of Longevity.In the
Middle Ages , in a 1250 study of distillation by Arnaut de Villeneuve, he described the "spirit" of wine; later his contemporary, Raymond Lulle, through the process of distillation 3 or 4 times over very low heat, claimed to have discovered in wine the essences of the four elements, Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. By about1730 , ageing distilled aguardientes had become common practice, and now in the 20th century these are considered distinct from "pure" or "raw" (ie unaged) aguardientes.outhern North America and South America
In both
Mexico andColombia , Aguardiente is derived from sugar cane. In Colombia, Aguardiente is ananise -flavoured liqueur derived from sugar cane, popular in the Andean region. Each department of Colombia holds the rights to produce it, but aguardiente produced in one region can be sold in another. By adding different amounts of aniseed, different flavours are obtained, leading to extensive marketing and fierce competition between brands. Aguardiente has a 29% alcohol content. Other anise-flavoured liqueurs similar to aguardiente but with a lower alcohol content are also sold. Aguardiente has maintained since the Spanish era the status of the most popular alcoholic beverage in the andean regions of Colombia with the notable exception of the Caribbean Region in which the Rum is king. Colombians in the andean regions drink it straight as individual shots and they rarely use it in cocktails.In
Chile , aguardiente is an alcoholic beverage of 45% and higher alcohol content by volume. It is made, like Italiangrappa , by distilling the grape residue, primarily the skins and pulp (" _es. orujo") plus the stems (" _es. escobajos") and seeds, left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It is used to make several other flavored liquors like the "murtado " or " _es. enmurtillado" (using sun dried " _es. murtilla", an orange-reddish wild rose fruit), the " _es. enguindado" (soaking sun dried morello cherries) and "licor de oro " (flavored with saffron and lemon peel). Dried mint, peeled walnuts, almonds, and other aromatic herbs are also used to flavor the aguardiente. It is mainly consumed by itself, or as a base to make "cola de mono " ("monkey tail").In
Brazil , an aguardente known ascachaça orpinga , considered distinct from traditional aguardiente, is made from sugar cane.in
Ecuador , aguardiente is also derived fromsugarcane but unlike Colombia it is left largely unflavoured. It is then taken straight as shots, mulled with cinnamon and fruit juices to make the hot cocktail called Canelazo, or mixed with the juice ofagave masts andGrenadine syrup for the hot cocktail called Draquita. Locally or artisanally made aguardiente is commonly called Punta, and alcohol content can vary widely, from "mild" puntas of about 10% to "strong" of about 40% or higher. The [http://www.progresoverde.org/make_alcohol.html traditional distillation process] produces aguardiente as strong as 60GL. Every Ecuadorian province has a slightly different flavour to the aguardiente produced there, and equally each province has a different recipe for Canelazo. Commercially, aguardiente is marketed on a national scale by the companiesZhumir and Cristal, (among others) who both offer a number fruit-flavoured versions of the liquor along with the traditional flavourless variety. Both companies also offer sparkling coolers based on aguardiente that are similar to thevodka coolers available in North America. In Ecuador, aguardiente is the most commonly consumed strong alcohol.Portugal
Portuguese aguardente has several varieties. "Aguardente vínica" is distilled from wine, either of good quality or undrinkable wines. It's mostly used to fortify wines like Port or aged to make "aguardente velha", a kind of brandy. There is also "aguardente bagaceira" that is made of pomace as a way to prevent waste after the wine season. It's usually bootlegged, as most drinkers only appreciate it in it's traditional 50% to 80% ABV. The most common way to drink it is added to a espresso, in what is known as a "café com cheirinho" (coffee with scent).
References
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