What Kind of Alcohol Is Amarula?
Aperçu
The marula tree, Sclerocarya birrea, is native to the miombo woodlands of southern Africa and holds a place in the region that goes well beyond its fruit. It is called the elephant tree because elephants travel long distances for the fallen fruit and will ram the trunk to dislodge more. It is also called the marriage tree: the fruit is held to have aphrodisiac properties, it features in fertility rituals, and tribal weddings are still conducted beneath its branches. The fruit itself is small, with a light yellow skin and white flesh, and it has been eaten and fermented in southern Africa for a very long time. What most people outside the region know it for is Amarula, the cream liqueur launched by South Africa's Southern Liqueur Company in 1989, following the marula spirit released in 1983. It is now sold in over a hundred countries at 17 percent alcohol by volume, made from sugar, cream and a spirit distilled from marula fruit rather than the whisky or brandy base most cream liqueurs use. This entry is worth reading carefully because of what it actually contains. The article above describes a commercial product. The recipe attached to it is a homemade cream liqueur made with whiskey, which is a different drink and one the article itself distinguishes Amarula from.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
The marula tree, Sclerocarya birrea, is native to the miombo woodlands of southern Africa and is documented in regional tradition as the marriage tree, with its fruit used in fertility rituals and weddings held beneath it. Amarula liqueur was launched by the Southern Liqueur Company of South Africa in 1989, following the release of a marula spirit in 1983.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Use a good quality coffee.
- 2
Make a very strong coffee, about 100ml, and allow it to cool.
- 3
Pour in the whiskey, condensed milk, full cream and honey, and mix properly.
- 4
Transfer into a bottle and store in the fridge for 7 days, shaking every day.
Notes de l’Africook
Notes personnelles de Jennifer Ezeokoli- This recipe makes a homemade cream liqueur in the general style of Baileys, not Amarula. Amarula is made from a spirit distilled from marula fruit and contains no whisky, which the article accompanying this recipe states directly.
- The seven days in the fridge is infusion rather than fermentation. Nothing ferments here, since there is no sugar source and no yeast at work.
- The coffee must be completely cold before it meets the cream. Warm coffee will split the mixture.
- Keep it refrigerated throughout and treat it as a fresh dairy product. Homemade cream liqueurs do not have the shelf stability of commercial ones and should be used within about a week.
- Shake it every day and again before pouring, since it separates on standing.
Questions fréquentes
What is Amarula made from?
Sugar, cream, and a spirit distilled from the fruit of the marula tree. Unlike most cream liqueurs it has no whisky or brandy base. It is 17 percent alcohol by volume, was launched in 1989 by South Africa's Southern Liqueur Company following a marula spirit released in 1983, and is now sold in over a hundred countries.
Does this recipe make Amarula?
No. Amarula is a commercial product made with a distilled marula fruit spirit, and it cannot be reproduced at home without that spirit. This recipe makes a homemade cream liqueur using whiskey, condensed milk and cream, which is a pleasant drink in the general style of Baileys but a different one entirely.
What is the marula tree?
Sclerocarya birrea, a medium sized tree native to the miombo woodlands of southern Africa. It produces a small fruit with light yellow skin and white flesh, eaten and fermented across the region. It is known as the elephant tree, for the animals that seek out its fallen fruit, and as the marriage tree, for its place in weddings and fertility rituals.
How long does homemade cream liqueur keep?
About a week refrigerated, and it should be treated as a fresh dairy product rather than as a spirit. Commercial cream liqueurs are stabilised and homogenised in ways a home kitchen cannot reproduce, which is why they keep far longer. Shake before pouring, since it separates.
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Herh, 8 shots of whiskey sounded like too much at first but after leaving the bottle in the fridge for the full 7 days and shaking it every morning, the harshness mellows out completely. Used instant Nescafe from the bodega down the street for the strong coffee. Tastes so smooth oo paa.
Abeg make sure you let that 100ml of strong coffee cool down completely before pouring in the cream, otherwise e go curdle o! I used Jameson I bought here in Dallas and the 1 teaspoon of honey gives it such a nice touch after sitting in the fridge for 7 days. E sweet no be small thing.
Used Tesco double cream instead of full cream since that is easier to find here in Luton. Mine came out way too sweet because my coffee wasnt strong enough to balance out the honey and condensed milk. The whole mixture felt heavy. Will have to brew the 100ml much stronger next time.
Made a batch for our braai last weekend using Bain's whiskey and a tin of Nestle condensed milk. You definitely cannot skip the step of shaking the bottle every day for a week, otherwise the Clover cream separates at the top. So lekker served over crushed ice!