Pablo Esparza Basarana Etiqueta Negre Pacharan 1lT

Description

Patxaran (Pacharan) is a sloe-flavoured liqueur from Navarra. It is made from the plant Prunus Spinosa, a thorny, wild bush belonging to the rose family. A close relative of cherry and plum trees, it does well in mountainous areas. For this reason many names have been given to the fruit including ‘wild’, ‘bastard’, ‘of the mountain’, ‘plum’, and ‘thorny’. The name Patxaran comes from the Basque basa aran: ‘basa’ meaning mountain, and ‘aran’ meaning plum. Pacharan is the Spanish (Castilian) spelling. The fruit of the Prunus are known as ‘Endrinas’ or ‘Arañon’, and Pacharans are often labelled as Pacharan de Endrinas or Pacharan de Arañon.

Patxaran-Pacharan started as a home-made liqueur in rural Navarra, becoming popular in the late 19th century. In the 1950s the production of Pacharan was commercialised and it became very popular outside Navarra. One theory tells of young Navarrans taking bottles of Patxaran with them on National Service, popularising the drink throughout the rest of Spain. There are now moves to ensure that the drink's name is protected to ensure its quality, tradition and Navarrese identity. The regulator of Patxaran of Navarra insists that no colourings or flavourings are added, that it is macerated for between one to eight months and it also dictates the quantity of sloes used in production.

Berries are picked by hand and immediately deep frozen to minus 20 degrees to preserve colour and flavour. Fruit is then soaked in las cadenas anisette, an anise flavoured-spirit. Soaking is carried out in dark rooms below ground, for a period of 6 months during which time the fruit is periodically stirred. The result is a ruby red sweet liqueur, around 25% alcohol by volume. It should be served chilled or on ice as a digestive.

 

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