Bahalina, sometimes called "coconut red wine", is a traditional

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

palm wine Palm wine, known by several #Names, local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the Borassus, palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and i ...

made from

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

nipa palm ''Nypa fruticans'', commonly known as the nipa palm (or simply nipa, from ms, nipah) or mangrove palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapte ...

sap. It is derived from

tubâ Tubâ () is a Filipino alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees. During the Spanish colonial period, tubâ was introduced to Guam, the Marianas, and Mexico via the Manila Galleons. They remain popular in Mexico, ...

(palm toddy) that has been aged for several months to several years. It originates from the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...

and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

islands of the southern

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is deep brown-orange in color and has a slightly bitter astringent taste.

Description

Bahalina is characteristically deep brown-orange in color due to the use of ''barok'' (also called ''tungog'' or ''tongog''), the extracts from the dried bark (''marka tungog'' or ''tangal'') of certain

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

species (''

Ceriops tagal ''Ceriops tagal'', commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet ' is a plant name from the Tagalog language. Descrip ...

'', ''

Rhizophora mucronata ''Rhizophora mucronata'' (loop-root mangrove, red mangrove or Asiatic mangrove) is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region. Description ''Rhizophora mucronata'' is a small to medium si ...

'', or ''

Vateria indica ''Vateria indica'', the white dammar, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in India. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a large canopy or emergent tree frequent in tropical wet e ...

''). The

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...

-rich extracts prevent bahalina from souring, as well as adding a slight bitterness to the flavor. Bahalina differs from the

lambanog Lambanóg is a traditional Filipino distilled coconut palm liquor. It is derived from tubâ made from coconut sap that has been aged for at least 48 hours. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands (where it is known as ''dalisay de coco ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in that lambanog is

distilled Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

and does not use ''barok'' and is thus milky-white or clear in color. Bahalina has around 10% to 13%

abv Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

(20 to 26

proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a con ...

), which is higher than

(2%-4% abv). However it has much lower alcohol content than lambanog which has 40%-45% abv (80 to 90 proof).

Preparation

Bahalina starts with the manufacturing of tubâ (palm toddy), which is derived from the sap of coconut or nipa palm flower stalks that have been cut. The tubâ typically ferment first for a week or so in the bamboo gathering tubes left on the coconut tree. They are collected by the ''mananguete'' or ''manananggot'' (tubâ-gatherers) and immediately sealed tightly in traditional glass jugs or

carboy A carboy, also known as a demijohn or a lady jeanne, is a rigid container with a typical capacity of . Carboys are primarily used for transporting liquids, often water or chemicals. They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, ...

s, carefully ensuring no air pockets remain. The ''barok'' is added during these steps, either when still in the bamboo tubes or during the transfer to the jugs. After about a day to a few weeks, the tubâ ferments into bahal, which is mildly alcoholic and has a sour-sweet taste. This can be consumed as is. To make bahalina, however, the bahal is filtered with cloth to remove the sediments (''laog'') and then transferred to a new jug. This is repeated daily for three months to ensure that bahalina does not ferment into

coconut vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

. After this process, the jug is then buried underground at least deep or stored in cool cellars for at least two more months before it can be ready for consumption.

Cultural significance

The traditional production of bahalina is widespread in the Visayas and Mindanao. It is sometimes characterized as a "poor man's drink", not because of its quality, but because it is relatively cheap in comparison to commercial alcoholic beverages. Bahalina aged from three to five years are usually preferred as they have a smoother taste. Bahalina does not taste like tubâ or bahal. Rather than the slightly sour-sweet taste of the latter two drinks, bahalina is slightly bitter and tangy. Bahalina is commonly drunk mixed with carbonated

softdrink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar ...

s which gives a sweeter dimension to the flavor, reminiscent of

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...

. Bahalina, along with tubâ, bahal, and other traditional Filipino alcoholic drinks are celebrated annually in the

Eastern Visayas Eastern Visayas ( war, Sinirangan Kabisay-an; ceb, Sidlakang Kabisay-an; tl, Silangang Kabisayaan or ''Silangang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, ...

in a

wine-tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

event dubbed as the "Oktubafest".

References

{{Filipino cuisine Fermented drinks Philippine alcoholic drinks Philippine cuisine

Description

Preparation

Cultural significance

See also

References