Grogue, also known as grogu or grogo (derived from English ''

grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to rum diluted with water (and later on long sea voyages, also added the juice of limes or lemons), which British Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon introduced in ...

''), is a

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

an alcoholic beverage, an

aguardente (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 Ib ...

made from sugarcane. Its production is fundamentally artisanal, and nearly all the sugarcane is used in the production of grogue. The cane is processed in a press known as a ''trapiche''. Grogue is the basis for a Cape Verdean cocktail known as ''ponche'' (derived from the English word "punch"), which also includes lime and molasses, comparable to the ''

poncha Poncha is a traditional alcoholic drink from the island of Madeira, made with aguardente de cana (distilled alcohol made from sugar cane juice), honey, sugar, and either orange juice or lemon juice. Some varieties include other fruit juices. ...

'' of the island of

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. Grogue and sugarcane production are primarily found in Santo Antão (notably

Ribeira do Paul Ribeira do Paul is a seasonal stream that flows in the northeastern part of the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. The stream flows from southwest to northeast. The upper part of the valley belongs to Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park.

and

Ribeira da Cruz Ribeira da Cruz is a settlement in the northwestern part of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde. Situated 22 km northwest of the island capital Porto Novo, it is part of the parish of Santo André, in the municipality of Porto Novo. It had 42 ...

) and

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. Grogue is also used as a base for medicinal preparations, with the addition of herbs such as

common rue ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its blui ...

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

, or

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

. There is also a grogue preparation made with percebes ( goose neck barnacles). Grogue is made by an old traditional way and because of this there are a lot of different qualities on the market. The government of Cabo Verde is now busy with a European company to introduce grogue on the European markets. This will be a fully controlled grogue of the best quality by the name 'Grogue Official'. In some tourist locations,

caipirinha Caipirinha () is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar, and lime. The drink is prepared by mixing the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor. This can be made in a single large glass to be sha ...

s are prepared with grogue.

Gallery

Image:1996.12.00.cv.sa.RibeiradaCruz.Trapiche.jpg, ''Trapiche'' in

, Santo Antão, Cape Verde File:Still used for making grogue in Cape Verde.jpg, Still used for making on Santo Antão File:Distilling grogue in Cape Verde.JPG, Distilling grogue

Gallery

References

Further reading