Liquere behind MP bar Flashcards
Be’ne’dictine
Bénédictine (French pronunciation: [benediktin]) is a herbal liqueur produced in France. It was developed by wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century, and is reputedly flavored with twenty-seven flowers, berries, herbs, roots, and spices.
In 1863 Alexandre Le Grand developed a recipe for an herbal liqueur, helped by a local chemist, from old medicinal recipes that he had acquired from a religious foundation where a maternal grandparent had held office as a fiscal prosecutor. To market it, he embellished a story of it having been developed by monks at the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, and produced by them until the abbey’s devastation during the French Revolution.He began production under the trade name “Bénédictine”, using a bottle with a distinguishing shape and label. To reinforce his myth, he placed the abbreviation “D.O.M.” on the label, for “Deo Optimo Maximo” (“To God, most good, most great”), used at the beginning of documents by the Benedictine Order to dedicate their work.
In 1982 just 15% of the production of the liqueur was sold in France with 45% of the product going to the United States of America.Benedictine is sold in over two hundred markets. The United Kingdom remains a significant market in Europe where much of the Bénédictine is consumed in the Burnley area of England.This is as a result of returning Great War soldiers of the East Lancashire Regiment acquiring a taste for the drink while stationed in France during the War. Traditionally people in East Lancashire drink Bénédictine with hot water, known as “Bene ‘n’ ‘ot”, and the Burnley Miners Club is reputedly the largest single customer.The abbey at Fécamp was used for a convalescence hospital.
In 1986, the Martini & Rossi group took control of Bénédictine. In 1992 they in turn were bought out by Bacardi for a reported $1.4 billion.
By 2010 around 75% of the production was exported. This marked a significant increase in its popularity in France. The biggest consumers of Bénédictine are the United States, Malaysia and Singapore.
Distilleria Alpe Genepy
Herbetet
This lovely family owned distillery is currently run by Master Distiller Flavio Calvetti, the third generation since his grandfather started making this regional specialty in 1948.
Named after the Herbetet peak of the Grand Paradiso mountain in between Aosta and Piedmonte, the family carefully sources the genepy that proliferates here that infuses this regional specialty with its trademark bitterness.
Meant to be served ice cold out of the freezer after a day in the snow or as a digestif, this will work equally well in numerous cocktails.
In the mountains of Piedmont and around the Aosta Valley a small herb grows that has been used for centuries to make a unique liqueur, Genepì. The plant behind all this, known in the United States as wormwood or mugwort, grows wild above 6,500 feet in the rocks and gravel of the Aosta and Piedmont mountains. It is part of the genus Artemisia, which includes about 200 species. Only three species, however, are used in the recipe handed down for generations to make a versatile liqueur. They are: Artemisia spicata, mutellina and glacialis. The plants are no more than six inches tall and have an inflorescence similar to sorghum. The flowers can be either male or female, but only the male flowers are used in the liqueur.
The plant’s origins
Cultivation of the plant, which is widespread in the valleys of Cuneo and Turin provinces, is ideally done at an altitude between about 5,000 and 6,500 feet. Sowing is done in early spring, generally in cold frames, and the seedlings are transplanted to the field during June or July, depending on the local climate. Mulching (covering the earth with cloth or other material to suppress weeds) is essential in growing the plant. Genepì’s growing cycle lasts three years on average: during its first year, the plant develops its roots and top but does not produce flowers. Harvesting is done during the second and third years.
Properties and traditional preparation
Herbal, digestive, soothing, curative, stimulant and neurotonic: these are the most significant properties of this plant, which is used not just for liqueur but also for essential oils. To make Genepì, you need herbs that have been dried for at least two weeks, spring water, superfine sugar and pure alcohol. Two techniques ensure a product of superior quality, along with artisanal craftsmanship and the raw materials used. The liqueur produced by infusion involves immersing the herbs in a hydroalcoholic solution in stainless steel containers for about 45 days. After infusing and pressing, sugar and water are added, and the mixture is allowed to age. After aging, followed by different phases of filtering, the infusion undergoes another finishing period before being bottled. After this procedure, it becomes a straw-colored 80-84 proof liqueur. The suspension method, which produces a colorless Genepì, involves placing the plants on special grates over the hydroalcoholic solution inside closed containers. This allows the alcohol to saturate the aromatic elements in the plant. Making the liqueur in this way takes longer, about 90 days plus 100 to 150 days of aging, but the result is a very pure product.
