Herbero
Encyclopedia
Herbero is a liquor
made in the Sierra de Mariola
region in the northern part of the Spanish
province of Alicante. This mountain range is famous for its abundance of medicinal and aromatic plants, some of which are used to make the herbero liquor.
Herbero is obtained from the distillation
or maceration of plants collected in the mountain range with a grain alcohol solution with between 22% and 40% alcoholic content. The color of the resulting liquor may be transparent, or it may vary from yellow to clear green to red.
The plants used in the production of herbero include at least four of the following: sage
, chamomile
, pennyroyal
, lemon verbena
, the root of the blessed thistle, peppermint
, cattail
, fennel
, anise
, melissa
, agrimony
, savory
, felty germander
, thyme
, and French lavender
.
Its production is regulated by the denominación de origen
"Distilled spirits of Alicante" together with anise paloma
, café licor from Alcoy
, and cantueso
.
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
made in the Sierra de Mariola
Sierra de Mariola
The Serra Mariola is a mountain range in the Valencian Community, Spain, one of the most peripheral offsprings of the Baetic System. Most if its territory is included in a natural park founded in 2002, covering an area of 17,257 ha....
region in the northern part of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
province of Alicante. This mountain range is famous for its abundance of medicinal and aromatic plants, some of which are used to make the herbero liquor.
Herbero is obtained from the distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
or maceration of plants collected in the mountain range with a grain alcohol solution with between 22% and 40% alcoholic content. The color of the resulting liquor may be transparent, or it may vary from yellow to clear green to red.
The plants used in the production of herbero include at least four of the following: sage
Common sage
Salvia officinalis is a small, perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world...
, chamomile
Chamomile
Chamomile or camomile is a common name for several daisy-like plants of the family Asteraceae. These plants are best known for their ability to be made into an infusion which is commonly used to help with sleep and is often served with either honey or lemon. Because chamomile can cause uterine...
, pennyroyal
Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal refers to two plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. For the American species, see American pennyroyal. The European pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, , is a plant in the mint genus, within the family Lamiaceae. Crushed Pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint...
, lemon verbena
Lemon verbena
Aloysia citrodora is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Common names include Lemon Verbena and Lemon Beebrush. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 17th...
, the root of the blessed thistle, peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
, cattail
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
, fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
, anise
Anise
Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...
, melissa
Melissa (plant)
Melissa is a genus of five species of perennial herbs native to Europe and Asia. The name Melissa is derived from a Greek word meaning bee, owing to the abundance of nectar in the flowers which attracts bees. The stems are square, like most other plants in the mint family...
, agrimony
Agrimony
Agrimonia, commonly known as Agrimony, is a genus of 12-15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one species also in Africa...
, savory
Savory
Savory or Savoury may refer to:* Savory , herbs of the genus Satureja, particularly :** Summer savory , an annual herb** Winter savory , a perennial herb* Savoriness, a type of taste....
, felty germander
Teucrium polium
Teucrium polium is a sub-shrub and herb native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Its flowers are small and range from pink to white, and its leaves are used in cooking and for medicinal purposes, particularly for the treatment of stomach ailments. It has also shown some promise in...
, thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
, and French lavender
Lavandula stoechas
Lavandula stoechas occurs naturally in the Mediterranean region.-Description:A perennial shrub, it usually grows to 30–100 cm tall and wide...
.
Its production is regulated by the denominación de origen
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
"Distilled spirits of Alicante" together with anise paloma
Anise
Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...
, café licor from Alcoy
Alcoy
Alcoy may stand for:* Alcoy, Spain , a municipality in the province of Alicante, Spain* Alcoy, Cebu, province of Cebu, Philippines....
, and cantueso
Cantueso
Cantueso is a liquor made in the Spanish province of Alicante.It is obtained from the distillation of the flowers and peduncle of the thyme plant thymus moroderi and grain alcohol. Cantueso typically contains between 25% and 35% alcohol, with 100 grams of sugar per liter, giving it its...
.