🥃 Koum Kouat of Corfu

Koum Kouat of Corfu (Greek: Κουμκουάτ Κέρκυρας) is an EU protected name for a liqueur produced exclusively on the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. According to its technical file, it is made from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin flavoured by maceration, and possibly distillation, with the fruit, leaves, shoots or flowers of the Corfu kumquat tree. The colour is yellowish to orange, and the minimum strength is 20% ABV, higher than the 15% usual for liqueurs.

How it is made. Ripe, dark orange fruit is cut and macerated for 12 to 36 hours in an alcohol and water mixture of about 40% ABV, at least 150 g of fruit per litre. The extract may then be distilled at 75–85 °C. It is blended with alcohol of agricultural origin so that the flavoured alcohol makes up at least 20% of the drink's strength, sweetened to at least 100 g/l of sugar (as invert sugar) and diluted with water. Natural flavourings and colouring are allowed if the kumquat flavour prevails. The whole process, bottling included, takes place on Corfu.

The fruit and the name. The name comes from the Chinese for “golden orange”. The file says the British agronomist Merlin brought the species Fortunella margarita to Corfu in 1924; it is grown mainly in the north of the island, on the Nymfes plain near Platonas. The fruit of Corfu has been recognised as a Greek PGI since Ministerial Decision 317718 of 14 January 1994, and the first distillery to make the liqueur, Alexandros Skiadopoulos's in Synarades, dates from 1936.

Why this matters to you. The name guarantees Corfu origin and a kumquat liqueur of at least 20% ABV and 100 g/l of sugar, not a light drink. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.