Orescaru
 | |
| Type | Spirit |
|---|---|
| Alcohol by volume | 45–74% |
| Proof (US) | 90–148 |
| Colour | Green |
| Flavour | Anise |
| Ingredients |
|
Orescaru is a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage that originated in the Imperium of Caphiria in the late 18th century. It is made from the flowers and leaves of wormwood, together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs.
Orescaru traditionally has a natural green color, but may also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as "mediocris viridi" (the green fairy). It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a liqueur, but it is not traditionally bottled with added sugar and is, therefore, classified as a spirit. Orescaru is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed.
Orescaru has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen as a chemical compound thujone, which is present in the spirit in trace amounts, was cited and blamed for its alleged harmful effects. The spirit was banned in the early 20th century, primarily due to its association with bohemian culture and counterculture, but was overturned after a study commissioned by the Senate proved that Orescaru was not to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Still, the spirit almost vanished into obscurity by modern times. It has only been within the last several decades that Orescaru has seen a resurgence in popularity, with newer variations and preparations being more commercially successful than the traditional drink.
History
The precise origin of Orescaru is unclear. The medical use of wormwood dates back to ancient Caphiria and even further to the Latinic civilization. The first evidence of Orescaru, in the sense of a distilled spirit containing green anise and fennel, dates to the 18th century. According to popular legend, it began as an all-purpose patent remedy created by an Cartadaniaan doctor, Caio Rocha, who was living in the Alexandrian Republic around 1672 (the exact date varies by account).
Rocha's recipe was passed on to the Aelitan family who sold it as a medicinal elixir. By other accounts, the Aelitan family may have been making the elixir before Rocha's arrival. In either case, a certain Clovinus Hercesica acquired the formula from the family in 1697 and opened the first Orescaru distillery. In 1705, they built a second distillery under the company name Laurelion Veveni Hercesica Distillery (LVHD), which remained one of the most popular brands of Orescaru until the drink was banned in Caphiria in 1884.
Orescaru's popularity grew steadily through the 1740s, when it was given to Caphirian troops as a malaria preventive, and the troops brought home their taste for it. Orescaru became so popular in bars, bistros, cafés, and cabarets by the 1760s that the hour of 5 p.m. was called viridi horam ("the green hour"). It was favored by all social classes, from the wealthy aristocracy to poor artists and ordinary working-class people. By the late 1700s, mass production had caused the price to drop sharply, and the Caphirians were drinking 36 million liters per year by 1825, compared to their annual consumption of almost 5 billion liters of wine.
Production
Green anise, one of three main herbs used in production of Orescaru Grande wormwood, one of three main herbs used in production of Orescaru Sweet fennel, one of three main herbs used in production of Orescaru There is no global definition of Orescaru in the way that there is one for whisky or gin, which are globally defined and regulated. Therefore, distilleries and producers are at liberty to label a product as "Orescaru" without regard to any specific legal definition or quality standards.
Producers of legitimate Orescaru employ one of two historically defined processes to create the finished spirit: distillation, or cold mixing. In the sole country (Caphiria) that does possess a legal definition of Orescaru, distillation is the only permitted method of production.
Distilled Orescaru
Distilled Orescaru employs a method of production similar to that of high quality gin. Botanicals are initially macerated in distilled base alcohol before being redistilled to exclude bitter principles, and impart the desired complexity and texture to the spirit. The distillation of Orescaru first yields a colorless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72% ABV. The distillate may be reduced and bottled clear, to produce a Albus Orescaru, or it may be colored to create a verte using natural or artificial coloring.
Traditional Orescaru obtain its green color strictly from the chlorophyll of whole herbs, which is extracted from the plants during the secondary maceration. This step involves steeping plants such as petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa (among other herbs) in the distillate. Chlorophyll from these herbs is extracted in the process, giving the drink its famous green color. This step also provides a herbal complexity that is typical of high quality Orescaru. The natural coloring process is considered critical for Orescaru ageing, since the chlorophyll remains chemically active. The chlorophyll serves a similar role in Orescaru that tannins do in wine or brown liquors.
After the coloring process, the resulting product is diluted with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. The flavor of Orescaru is said to improve materially with storage, and many pre-ban distilleries aged their Orescaru in settling tanks before bottling.
Cold mixed Orescaru
Many modern Orescaru are produced using a cold mix process. This inexpensive method of production does not involve distillation, and is regarded as inferior in the same way that cheaper compound gin is regarded as inferior to distilled gin. The cold mixing process involves the simple blending of flavoring essences and artificial coloring in commercial alcohol, in similar fashion to most flavored vodkas and inexpensive liqueurs and cordials. Some modern cold mixed Orescaru have been bottled at strengths approaching 90% ABV. Others are presented simply as a bottle of plain alcohol with a small amount of powdered herbs suspended within it.
The lack of a formal legal definition for Orescaru in most countries enables some cold mixing producers to falsify advertising claims, such as referring to their products as "distilled", since the base alcohol itself was created at some point through distillation. This is used as justification to sell these inexpensively produced Orescaru at prices comparable to more authentic Orescaru that are distilled directly from whole herbs. In the only country that possesses a formal legal definition of Orescaru (Caphiria), anything made via the cold mixed process cannot be sold as Orescaru.
Ingredients
Orescaru is traditionally prepared from a distillation of neutral alcohol, various herbs, spices and water. Traditional Orescaru were redistilled from a white grape spirit, while lesser versions were more commonly made from alcohol from grain, beets, or potatoes. The principal botanicals are grande wormwood, green anise, and florence fennel, which are often called "the holy trinity.". Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, angelica, peppermint, coriander, and veronica.
Preparation
The traditional Caphiric preparation involves placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon, and placing the spoon on a glass filled with a measure of Orescaru. Iced water is poured or dripped over the sugar cube to mix the water into the drink. The final preparation contains 1 part Orescaru and 3–5 parts water. As water dilutes the spirit, those components with poor water solubility (mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise) come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the umbra (literally, shade). The release of these dissolved essences coincides with a perfuming of herbal aromas and flavours that "blossom" or "bloom," and brings out subtleties that are otherwise muted within the neat spirit. This reflects what is perhaps the oldest and purest method of preparation, and is often referred to as the Caphiric Method.
The Apaixonic Method is a recent invention that involves fire, and was not performed during Orescaru's peak of popularity in the Caphiric world. The Apaixonic Method originates from Cartadania. Like the traditional method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of Orescaru. The sugar is pre-soaked in alcohol (usually more Orescaru), then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass, thus igniting the Orescaru. Finally, a shot glass of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the traditional method. A variant of the Apaixonic Method involves allowing the fire to extinguish on its own. This variant is sometimes referred to as "Cooking the Orescaru" or "The Green Dragon."