4 Local Tipples To Taste On A Star Clippers Sailing
14th February 2020
If you’re the kind of person who likes to discover a new destination through their stomach, you’re going to enjoy reading today’s blog post. However, this time we are not talking about food. Instead, we’ve rounded up four local drinks that you can try during Star Clippers shore excursions, whether that’s in the Caribbean, Mediterranean or anywhere else in between.
So, uncork that bottle and raise a glass to sampling these beautiful beverages.
Sugarcane Juice
When you arrive in Martinique on your Caribbean cruise, one of the optional excursions is a food safari in Fort de France. The island’s capital is well known for its Creole culture and the food on offer is a great example of this. As well as pastries, exotic fruit, saffron-infused dishes and ice cream, you will visit the markets to sample sugarcane juice.
Created during the rum-making process, it is also made by street vendors who peel the sugar cane before crushing it in a mill and then filtering it. Although extremely sweet, sugarcane juice contains anti-oxidants and can be a source of potassium and magnesium.
Medronho
Any trip to Portugal is likely to involve a glass or two of port wine, but this is not the only traditional tipple to try while you’re in town. When the ship docks in Portimao, on the Algarve coast, you can choose to sample some medronho as part of an Algarve discovery tour.
Aguardente de medronhos, to give it its full name, is made from the fruit of the arbutus unedo. Although this translates as ‘strawberry tree’, the fruits do not resemble strawberries and the resulting brandy doesn’t have a strawberry flavour. Farmers across the Algarve produce this fruit brandy from trees growing on their land. It’s popular in the region but its sharp kick may surprise you the first time you try it.
Cassis Wine
The chances are that the name Cassis conjures thoughts of the red liqueur used to flavour drinks like kir royale. However, that drink takes its name from the French word for blackcurrant and not the town in southern France to which we are referring here. The liqueur is typically made in Burgundy, whereas the delicious range of (mostly) white wines we are talking about here is made in a small town that makes a big impression.
The surrounding scenery of the Calanques National Park and the slow pace found in Cassis make this quiet fishing village a delightful place to visit. The wines produced are very distinctive and unlike any of those made in the rest of Provence. A tasting session will reveal their fresh, citrus flavours.
Maraschino
Maraschino liqueur was first created by pharmacists in Zadar’s Dominican monastery. It is produced using Marasca cherries, which grow all along the Dalmatian coast, and so Croatia is the perfect place for a glass or two.
Known as the King’s liqueur, due to its popularity with various monarchs including King George IV of England, it has a sweet flavour and smell. If you can’t get enough, souvenir bottles, characterised by their squared-off shape and short neck, are available all over Zadar.
If you would like to try any of these drinks for yourself, call the Star Clippers team to book your next cruise. We have some fantastic itineraries available to the world’s most popular regions.