🥃 Beirão

Licor Beirão is a Portuguese sweet herbal liqueur from the town of Lousã in the Beira region. It is made from 13 spices, plants and aromatic seeds, flavoured with mint, cinnamon, cardamom and lavender. Its strength, according to Difford's Guide, is 22% ABV, and it is produced by the family company J. Carranca Redondo.

History. The producer dates its beginnings to the late 19th century: around 1890 a wine merchant from Porto who had settled in Lousã began making "natural liqueurs" after a law banned medicinal claims for alcohol. The drink received the name "Beirão" in 1929 after the second Beira Congress, where it won first prize. In 1940 the young José Carranca Redondo bought the factory and founded the company, now run by the third generation of the family.

How it is made. According to the producer, the herbs and seeds are cold-macerated for at least three weeks in spirit of agricultural origin in steel vats, then distilled twice in copper stills. The distillate is 72% ABV and is then diluted and sweetened to its final strength. Before bottling, the liqueur rests for several months in steel tanks. Some of the plants are grown nearby; the rest are imported from India, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Turkey.

Taste. Difford's Guide describes a golden-amber colour, an aroma of mint, eucalyptus and lavender, and a moderately sweet, minty-cinnamon taste.

Why this matters to you. Beirão is not a bitter but a sweet liqueur: catalogues sometimes confuse it with bitter drinks. The recipe is secret, so the composition is limited to what the producer has revealed. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe amount of alcohol.