Cristal is the name of a number of brands of
aguardiente
( Spanish), or ( Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in ...
in South America.
Colombia
An aguardiente named Cristal is produced in
Manizales
Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
in 1950 by Sergio Castro Brandon (Licorera de Manizales). The Colombian brand Aguardiente CRISTAL , is made by distilling fermented
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
juice. It is the most imported label of Aguardiente in the United States.. This brand of aguardiente was named after its founder, Christel Babach Doroudgar who lived in Pereira and moved to Sydney Australia not long after.
Ecuador
The
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
ian brand of
aguardiente
( Spanish), or ( Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in ...
named Cristal is marketed on a national scale. Like its closest competitor,
Zhumir
Zhumir Latin Spirit is an Ecuadorian brand of spirits, marketed on a national and international scale. Zhumir is often, incorrectly, referred to as Rum outside of Ecuador.
Origins
Zhumir was originally founded by Don Eduardo Crespo Malo. The te ...
it is sometimes, incorrectly, called
rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
.
Origins
Cristal is produced by Embotelladora Azuaya S.A. and has been offered for 45 years.
:Cristal:
however the tradition of making and bottling aguardiente in the valleys of the province of Azuay
Azuay (), Province of Azuay is a province of Ecuador, created on 25 June 1824. It encompasses an area of . Its capital is Cuenca. It is located in the south center of Ecuador in the highlands. Its mountains reach above sea level in the natio ...
goes back much further. As with Zhumir, Cristal grows the cane for its product in Azuay, and has its headquarters in Cuenca. The brand name Cristal refers to the complete clarity of the original aguardiente, which is visually indistinguishable from pure water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
.
Flavours
Cristal, in order to remain competitive, offers a number of flavours of aguardiente in addition to four types of the traditional flavourless variety.
Cristal Clasico - triple filtered, dry, flavourless aguardiente, 84 proof.
Cristal Suave - triple filtered, dry, flavourless aguardiente, 64 proof.
Cristal Seco - triple filtered, ultra-dry, flavourless aguardiente, 68 proof.
Cristal Seco Suave - triple filtered, ultra-dry, flavourless aguardiente, 56 proof.
Cristal Durazno - peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
flavoured, semi-dry aguardiente, 40 proof.
Cristal Naranja - orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
flavoured, semi-dry aguardiente, 48 proof.
Cristal Limon - lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
flavoured, semi-dry aguardiente, 40 proof.
In addition, Cristal offers four flavours of sparkling aguardiente coolers under the brand name "C by Cristal"
Original - a sparkling, exotic-fruit cocktail flavoured cooler, 10 proof.
Sexy Apple - a sparkling, green apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
flavoured cooler, 10 proof.
Fashion Orange - a sparkling, sweet orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
flavoured cooler, 10 proof.
Xtreme Wild - a sparkling cooler with what the company describes as a "Wild" flavour, 10 proof.
References
Distilled drinks
{{Distilled-beverage-stub