Nectar of the Gods

After our stay in Santader, by the sea, the road took us to Potes the main road junction located in the shadow of the tall white peaks of the Picos the Europa.  Here we discovered ORUJO.

And what a discovery that was!  I am still wishing I had filled my suitcase with this nectar of the gods.  The only little bottle I brought, pictured below, was soon gone.  I didn't even had the heart to wash it out, I can still open it, sniff the delicious aroma and dream....

Orujo's basic ingredient is the residue from the wine production.  Once the grapes are crushed, the orujo, or residue: grape skins, seeds and stacks are then fermented in open bats and distilled in a traditional large copper kettle called alambiques. It takes 6 hours or more to distilled while a poteiro (orujo distiller) watches over the brew.

Cantabrians have distilled Orujo since the middle ages.  The people of Galicia in Northern Spain have a long tradition of making strong distilled liqueurs and none is more famous than Orujo used in a popular Galician drink called Queimada.  While in Santiago de Compostela I had the opportunity to try the drink.  See the post to learn how they make it in Galicia.  

C