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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
have spread throughout Spain. In Asturias and the
Basque regions cider is the drink of choice.The
traditional stuff is very dry, comes in a wine bottle and
doesn’t have any fizz, although talented locals pour the
drink in a great arc to add some aeration and serve it
an inch at a time to maximise the bubbles.The rest of
Spain seems fairly unmoved by cider’s charms.
Short stories: Spanish spirits
Spain is slowly falling out of love with spirits. Less are
drunk every year. Imported whisky has long been the
most popular snifter – they drink more than almost
anyone else in the world – but Spain also has some
notable homegrown tipples. Brandy is made in large
quantities in and around Jerez, Andalusia, although the
grapes are often sourced from elsewhere in Spain.
They call itcoñacand produce it in varying ages and
qualities, most of them sweeter than the French
versions. Like sherry, Jerez brandy is aged using the
solerasystem that blends a series of vintages.The
reservaages for a minimum of one year and thegran
reservafor a minimum of three, but the best spend
much longer in the cask. A drier brandy is also made in
Penedès, Catalonia. Ponche Caballero, a clear orange
brandy liqueur, is another Andalusian drink, while Anís
is Spain’s version of the liquorice spirit found in various
Mediterranean lands. In Navarre they’re partial to
Patxaran (Pacharán in the rest of Spain), a liqueur made
by soaking sloes in anise-flavoured spirit. Coffee beans,
a cinnamon stick and a vanilla pod are all added to the
mix before the drink is left to mature.
- Build yourself a cider
factory near Villaviciosa,
capital of Asturian cider,
but be sure to face the
sea – cider hates warm
southerly breezes.
- Crush and press your
native apples, harvested
during the waning moon
of November, and then
ferment the juice in
chestnut barrels for six
months.
- Bottle it up and leave
it thus for two or three
years, during which time
the dryness and alcohol
content of five to seven
per cent will develop.
Pour ostentatiously into
a cup from a distance of
two or three feet and
enjoy.
Making cider
the Asturian
way: a dreamer’s
guide
