Arbutus Brandy/ Medronho

Arbutus trees (Arbutus curredo L.) grow naturally in dense clumps, chiefly on the wetter north-facing slopes of the Monchique hills. Their fruit, which is round with a stone and turns red when it is ripe, is picked in autumn.

Fermented using natural enzymes, the resulting brew is carefully distilled in copper alembics, often for days and nights at a stretch. The spirit that eventually emerges has a distinctive flavour much appreciated by connoisseurs. When aged in oak barrels it becomes smoother to the palate.

Sipped and savoured by men seated around a table, above all during the cold days of winter, "medronho", as it is called in Portuguese, is a symbol of friendship and conviviality among the people of the Algarve.

For years now a variety of liqueurs have been made to old recipes by flavouring brandy with aromatic herbs like pennyroyal, mint, fennel and anise or fruits, such as oranges, strawberries and almonds.