The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks (56 page)
Read The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks Online
Authors: Amy Stewart
Tags: #Non-Fiction
BITTER ORANGE
Citrus aurantium
This sour orange, also called the Seville bitter orange, came to Spain by way of the Moors in the eighth century. It was probably never eaten raw, but its peel quickly found its way into liqueurs, perfume, and marmalade. As dreadful as the juice might be on its own, it is the essential ingredient in
mojo,
a marinade combining the bitter orange juice with herbs and garlic.
Bitter oranges also flavor triple sec. Although many orange liqueurs go by the name triple sec, a French distiller, Combier, lays claim to the original recipe. They offer up a royal legend to explain their elixir's origin: the company's story involves a chemist, François Raspail, who was imprisoned after he ran unsuccessfully against Napoleon III and later led a revolt against him. Raspail was also a noted botanistâhe was one of the first to use microscopes to identify plant cellsâand he'd apparently created a medicinal potion from aromatic plants. In prison, the story goes, he met confectioner Jean-Baptiste Combier, who was also serving time for denouncing Napoleon III's authoritarian rule. Combier had already developed an orange liqueur recipe with his wife. The men agreed that when they were released, they'd go into business together, combine their recipes, and release the result as Royal Combier.
Imprisoned chemists aside, what modern drinkers need to know is that triple sec as it is made by Combier is a sugar beet spirit combined with bitter orange peel. Even this high-quality version is not complex enough to be drinkable on its own; every good triple sec tastes more or less like orange candy. It is nonetheless worth seeking out a quality orange liqueur for margaritas, sidecars, and other recipes that call for it.
We have Spanish explorers to thank for bringing their bitter Seville oranges to Curaçao, an island of the Lesser Antilles off the coast of Venezuela. The variety that grew from those early discarded seeds came to be called Laraha (
Citrus aurantium
var.
curassaviensis
). They tasted terrible, but desperate sailors ate them anyway as a treatment for scurvy after a long journey across the ocean. In fact, the island's name may come from the Portuguese word for “cured.”
And, of course, Laraha was made into liqueur. Originally the peels were dried in the sun and soaked in spirits along with other spices. Today, according to the makers of the real curaçao liqueur, there is still an original plantation of forty-five Laraha trees on the island. Twice a year the trees are harvested, producing only nine hundred oranges. After drying the peels in the sun for five days, they are suspended inside the still in jute bags to extract the citrus flavors. Then other flavors are addedâthe exact recipe is a secret, but nutmeg, clove, coriander, and cinnamon are likely suspectsâand it is bottled with or without food coloring. Curaçao is known for its vivid, Caribbean blue color, but this is simply an artificial color and true curaçao can be purchased without it.
The extract of bitter orange can also be found in Grand Marnier, a Cognac-based liqueur. The peels are left to dry in the sun and then soaked in a high-proof neutral alcohol to extract the flavor. That essence is then combined with Cognac and a few other secret ingredients, then aged in oak. Grand Marnier works as a mixer for any cocktail that calls for a citrus liqueur, giving it a rich elegance that other orange liqueurs lack.
The distillers of Grand Marnier claim to flavor it with the rinds of a fruit called
Citrus bigaradia,
but don't try to find it at a nursery: the name dates back to 1819 but is no longer in use by botanists. At best it refers to a particular variety of the
C. aurantium
species,
Citrus à aurantium
var.
bigaradia.
RED LION HYBRID
This variation on the classic Red Lion is designed to showcase the flavor of Grand Marnier, like the original did, but also to feature fresh, seasonal orange juice. It's fantastic in the winter when tangerines are at their peak.
1 ounce Plymouth gin or vodka
1 ounce Grand Marnier
¾ ounce freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice
Juice of one freshly squeezed lemon wedge
Dash of grenadine
Orange peel
Shake all the ingredients except the orange peel over ice and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange peel.
WHAT'S BEEN SPRAYED ON THAT ORANGE ZEST?
In Florida and Texas, and on warm Caribbean islands,
citrus groves don't experience the cool nights needed to help the fruit turn from green to orange. This forces growers to find other ways to use greenish fruit that is perfectly ripe but unattractive. This problem explains, in part, why Florida is so well known for its juice industry while California, which has cooler nights, sells more fresh citrus. Some growers correct the green color by exposing the fruit to ethylene, a naturally occurring gas that speeds up ripening and breaks down chlorophyll.
Farmers in the United States are also permitted to spray the fruit with a synthetic dye called Citrus Red No. 2. The dye is banned in California but may be used by Texas and Florida growers. It is only permitted for fruit that is going to be peeled and eaten or juiced, not for fruit whose rinds will be “processed” into food or drink. Because fruit sold at the grocery store is assumed to be for eating or juicing, it may be sprayed with the dyeâand not always labeled as such.
Citrus can also be sprayed with wax; if wax is used on organic citrus, it cannot be synthetic or petroleum-based. If you'd prefer to avoid using synthetic dyes or waxes in cocktails,
limoncello,
or other infusions, choose organic citrus.
An essential oil is a volatile oil extracted from a plant through distillation, pressing (expression), or solvents. In the case of citrus, the most common oils are:
Neroli oil | Extracted from the blossoms of bitter orange, usually through water distillation |
Petitgrain oil | A distillation of the leaves and twigs of a citrus tree |
Sweet orange oil | Extracted from the rind of the orange, often through cold pressing |
CALAMONDINCitrofortunella microcarpa
(syn.
Citrus microcarpa
)
A likely cross between a mandarin and a kumquat, the calamondin retains the best qualities of both trees: small fruit with thin skin and a tart but not bitter juice. It is one of the most cold-tolerant of all citrus trees, surviving even when the temperature dips below freezing, and it is so content in a pot indoors that it has become popular as a houseplant. It is widely grown in the Philippines, where it is also called
calamansi.
The juice is just tart enough to substitute for a lime in cocktails. The peels can be soaked in vodka and sugar to be made into a liqueur. In the Philippines, the juice is treated as a mixer with vodka and club soda.
CHINOTTO