Okolehao
Encyclopedia
Okolehao is an alcoholic spirit
whose main ingredient is the root of the Ti plant. Okolehao is also called 'oke' by the Native Hawaiians
whose ancestors were the first to make it prior to contact with western explorers, missionaries, and seamen. Okolehao started out as a beer
and when distillation techniques were introduced by English seamen, it was distilled into a high proof spirit. Hawaiians discovered that if you baked the ti root a sweet liquid migrated to the surface of the root. They did not know that chemically, the heat changed the starch
in the root to a fermentable
sugar. The baked root was then soaked in a vat of water which dissolved the sugar and fermentation began to take place. The beer was later distilled into a high proof spirit which was prized by the king.
was introduced, this too was added for its sugar content. Taro
, another fermentable starch, was also added along the way. When the Japanese
and Chinese
immigrants arrived to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields they brought with them their native rice
. The propagated rice was also added to the formula. By the beginning of World War II
, the locals were producing okolehao of various formulations, all of which were sold to US military personnel located at the many bases in Hawaii. Spirit alcohol made from grains was rationed during the war and used for fuel by the various military forces. The resulting shortage was good for okolehao sales. When the war was over, the production of okolehao gradually died out as rum
and vodka
became readily available and better tasting than the crude native okolehao.
Just as moonshine
on the mainland was produced using various formulas, okolehao was produced using various fermentable ingredients. The more raw sugar used, the better the okolehao. Aging in used whiskey barrels also improved the flavor.
. There have been several past and recent productions of an okolehao "liqueur" which is made by blending extracts of ti plant root, or ground up and emulsified ti root, with sugar syrup, rum, neutral spirits, bourbon, and other artificial and natural flavorings. Liqueurs are generally sweet form the heavy sugar addition and are considered rectified spirits and not distilled spirits. Another example of an Hawaiian style "liqueur" would be the popular Macadamia Nut
liqueur made with neutral spirits, sugar syrup, and artificial and natural colors and flavorings. These "liqueur" products are generally sweet, between 60 and 80 proof, and taste much like a sweet fruit brandy
. True or original style okolehao generally had a random proof of 85 proof to 100 proof. Since it was illegally produced, the proof was dependent on the efficiency of the distillation process. The finished product was determined at the point the moonshiner decided that their okolehao had the right "hit" or "punch". Some full strength okolehaos were and are made at a proof up to 130 proof, 65% alcohol by volume, the proof obtainable by most illegal pot stills in a single pass.
While the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco, now the TTB, once recognized okolehao as a unique class, like vodka, gin, bourbon, tequila, whiskey, liqueur, etc., it is now recognized as a distilled specialty spirit (DSS), which requires the producer or distiller to include the exact ingredients and general formula on the label.
For the short time okolehao was legally made in Hawaii after the war and into the sixties, the State of Hawaii granted okolehao a reduced tax rate to assist in its appeal and cost. That reduced tax was ruled by the Federal Government to be illegal due to discriminatory taxation of a spirit product.
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
whose main ingredient is the root of the Ti plant. Okolehao is also called 'oke' by the Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
whose ancestors were the first to make it prior to contact with western explorers, missionaries, and seamen. Okolehao started out as a beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and when distillation techniques were introduced by English seamen, it was distilled into a high proof spirit. Hawaiians discovered that if you baked the ti root a sweet liquid migrated to the surface of the root. They did not know that chemically, the heat changed the starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
in the root to a fermentable
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
sugar. The baked root was then soaked in a vat of water which dissolved the sugar and fermentation began to take place. The beer was later distilled into a high proof spirit which was prized by the king.
History
Over the years the local folks continued to produce okolehao beer and distillates. When sugar cane was introduced to the islands, Hawaiians added sugar as another fermentable. When pineapplePineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
was introduced, this too was added for its sugar content. Taro
Taro
Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
, another fermentable starch, was also added along the way. When the Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
and Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
immigrants arrived to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields they brought with them their native rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. The propagated rice was also added to the formula. By the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the locals were producing okolehao of various formulations, all of which were sold to US military personnel located at the many bases in Hawaii. Spirit alcohol made from grains was rationed during the war and used for fuel by the various military forces. The resulting shortage was good for okolehao sales. When the war was over, the production of okolehao gradually died out as rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
and vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
became readily available and better tasting than the crude native okolehao.
Just as moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
on the mainland was produced using various formulas, okolehao was produced using various fermentable ingredients. The more raw sugar used, the better the okolehao. Aging in used whiskey barrels also improved the flavor.
Current production
Today, okolehao, Hawaiian moonshine, is still produced illegally in small quantities. There is currently no commercial production of "real" okolehao. One small distillery on Maui, Haleakala Distillers makes an okolehao liqueurLiqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
. There have been several past and recent productions of an okolehao "liqueur" which is made by blending extracts of ti plant root, or ground up and emulsified ti root, with sugar syrup, rum, neutral spirits, bourbon, and other artificial and natural flavorings. Liqueurs are generally sweet form the heavy sugar addition and are considered rectified spirits and not distilled spirits. Another example of an Hawaiian style "liqueur" would be the popular Macadamia Nut
Macadamia
Macadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
liqueur made with neutral spirits, sugar syrup, and artificial and natural colors and flavorings. These "liqueur" products are generally sweet, between 60 and 80 proof, and taste much like a sweet fruit brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
. True or original style okolehao generally had a random proof of 85 proof to 100 proof. Since it was illegally produced, the proof was dependent on the efficiency of the distillation process. The finished product was determined at the point the moonshiner decided that their okolehao had the right "hit" or "punch". Some full strength okolehaos were and are made at a proof up to 130 proof, 65% alcohol by volume, the proof obtainable by most illegal pot stills in a single pass.
While the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco, now the TTB, once recognized okolehao as a unique class, like vodka, gin, bourbon, tequila, whiskey, liqueur, etc., it is now recognized as a distilled specialty spirit (DSS), which requires the producer or distiller to include the exact ingredients and general formula on the label.
For the short time okolehao was legally made in Hawaii after the war and into the sixties, the State of Hawaii granted okolehao a reduced tax rate to assist in its appeal and cost. That reduced tax was ruled by the Federal Government to be illegal due to discriminatory taxation of a spirit product.