When I was a kid my dad kept a bottle of Galliano in the living room closet. It was a tall, narrow space perfect to accommodate the bottles' height, but it was also side by side with his putter, a few golf balls, and that little silvery disc thing you hit the golf balls into. Nice combo dad. But I loved the look of that liquid and the shape of the bottle. To this day it's not uncommon to be offered a Harvey Wallbanger should you stop by.But I digress- just a little. I love cordials, liqueurs and spirits. I love the taste, the labels, the stories, and the cool bottles.
I was really excited last summer when our first batch of Boroli Chinato showed up. I grabbed a bottle, jumped in the car, picked up a bag of ice and a bottle of soda, and drove from account to account making one of my favorite warm -weather cocktails for my friends and customers. A very good day.
Again I digress. Sorry.
So on this last trip to Spain we found ourselves in Bierzo, in the town of Villafrancha, at the end of a long lunch in a warm, smoked-filled room. Our gracious hosts brought out for us an after-meal drink, a local favorite- Orujo. Just the thing to resuscitate us.
Made since the 16th century in Galicia in the northwestern part of Spain, and found in many other areas such as Cantabria and Castilla y Leon, Orujo is now twenty years into an artisan renaissance. It is known in other parts of the world as 'grappa' in Italy, 'marc' in France, and 'pisco' in Peru.
Produced from the distillation of grape pomace where the grape skins, seeds and stalks are fermented in open vats and then distilled in an alambique (copper pot) by a poteiro ( Orujo distiller). The spirit is colorless unless aged in oak where it then takes on an amber color. The pomace can also be distilled with herbs which are added during the distillation process then later all is macerated.
The typical Orujo is fiery and 100 proof. We drank one made from cilantro. It was neon green and man was it intense- in a pleasant, rounded way. Other favorites were the Orujo de Cafe and the Orujo de Crema- a white coffee look-a-like with aromas of vanilla and toffee, and a fine cream on the palate. All were served over a single cube of ice.
I think you can get these on the east coast, and I carted a few bottles home from Spain. I'll keep looking for a local purveyor. It's worth it.
