Portuguese Spirits: Aguardente

Aguardente

My grandfather had a saying about Aguardente: better to throw it away than to share it with someone who doesn't appreciate it!

In fact, he used the word "Bagaço", a more popular expression. For some people, to this day, having a Bagaço after a cofee is mandatory… Portuguese old-school bluesman Rui Veloso has na enormly popular song from the 80's called just that, " um café e um Bagaço" (coffee and Bagaço).

Aguardente is a word composed of the Portuguese languages' words for "water" (água in Portuguese), and "burning"/"fiery" (ardente in Portuguese). A comparable word in English is "firewater", although the English term is colloquial. I have only ever heard them in old cowboy movies, usually not painting a very pretty picture of the indigenous people … 

It's mostly ommon sense, Aguardente is a staple of Portuguee spirits. It's a type of distilled alcoholic spirit that should contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is a somewhat generic term that can refer to very differet liquors made from very diferente sources. It originates from the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Being winemakers and tireless workers, distilling the remains of the grapes from the winemaking process into beautyful Aguardentes was a logical conclusion.

Aguardente is not for rookies, nor for the faint of heart, it's a strong alcoholic beverage obtained by fermentation followed by distillation of sugared or sweet musts, like in our region, vegetable macerations, or mixtures of both. Fruit-based aguardentes include those made from oranges, grapes, or medronho ("cane apple"). Grain-based ones may be made from millet, barley, or rice and tuber-based aguardientes from beet, manioc, or potato, and finally what are classed as "true", not that the other ones are fake, aguardentes from sugarcane and other sweet canes.

In accordance to the Portuguese version of European Union spirits regulations, aguardente is a generic term, for some of the distilled spirits that are fermented and distilled exclusively from their specified raw materials, contain no added alcohol or flavoring substances, and if sweetened, only "to round off the final taste of the product". Nevertheless, aguardente is not a legal denomination.

In fact, various categories of aguardentes are established according to raw materials.

There are seveal diferente types of Portuguese aguardente. Aguardente vínica is distilled, either from good quality or undrinkable wine. It is typically used to fortify wines such as Ports or aged to make Aguardente velha, a type of cognac. Aguardente bagaceira is made from pomace to avoid it going to waste after the close of wine season. 

In Madeira, it is the main ingredient for Poncha, a beverage that includes fresh fruit from the region like passion fruit or pineapple. Most of the aguardente fromMadeira is made from sugarcane.

Keep it between us, but It is usually bootlegged, as most drinkers only appreciate it in its traditional formulation of 50% to 80% ABV. Jet Fuel! Anyhow … Aguardente is a brilliant ending to a hefty Sunday meal. Then a nap. Bliss!