Patxaran

Homemade Patxaran competition at a fair

Patxaran(Basque pronunciation:[patʃaɾan]) (Spanish:Pacharán) is asloe-flavouredliqueurcommonly drunk inNavarre,as well as in theBasque Country.It is usually served as adigestifeither chilled or on ice.

Etymology

'Zoco' Patxaran

The wordpatxaranis theUpper Navarreseform ofbasaran,from Basquebasa'wild' andaran'sloe'.It also occurs in the various Basque dialects asbaxaran,basarhan,baixaranand various other forms.

Process

Patxaran is made by soaking sloe fruits, collected from theblackthornshrub, along with a fewcoffeebeans and acinnamonstick inanisette,for one to eight months.The process produces a light sweet reddish-brown liquid around 25-30% in alcohol content by volume. In addition to dictating the amount of sloes to be used, the regulating body for Pacharán Navarro insists that no artificial colourings or flavourings be added and that themacerationlast between one and eight months.

History

Known to have existed in Navarre as early as theMiddle Ages,Patxaran was initially a home-made liqueur of rural Navarre and became popular during the late 19th century. It was commercialised in the 1950s and then became very popular outside Navarre. One theory for this rise holds that young Navarrese took bottles with them while on theNational service,thereby popularising Patxaran throughout Spain.It now holds a PGI (protected geographical indication) status that protects the spirit's identity, including traditions and processes to make it, and also indicates that it can only be made and bottled in specific areas.

Commercial brands and production

'Las Endrinas' Patxaran

Common Pacharán brands includeZoco,Etxeko,Basarana,Berezko,Usua,La Navarra,Las EndrinasandBaines.

Seven million litres a year are commercially produced.

See also

• Sloe gin

External links

• Website of official Patxaran regulator