"Extra Sec. Curaçao Cusenier" Liquer advertisement Postcard

Curaçao Cusenier" 1899 advertisement. Curaçao (pronounced /ˈkjʊərəsaʊ/ in English) is a liqueur flavoured with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao. A non-native plant similar to an orange, the laraha developed from the sweet Valencia orange transplanted by Spanish explorers. The nutrient-poor soil and arid climate of Curaçao proved unsuitable to Valencia cultivation, resulting in small bitter fruit on the trees. But the aromatic peel maintained much of the essence of the Valencia varietal, and the trees were eventually bred into the current laraha species, whose fruits remain inedibly bitter. The drink was first developed and marketed by the Senior family (a Jewish family of Spanish and Portuguese descent) in the 19th century. To create the liqueur the laraha peel is dried, bringing out the sweetly fragranced oils. After soaking in a still with alcohol and water for several days, the peel is removed and other spices are added. The liqueur has an orange-like flavour with varying degrees of bitterness. It is naturally colourless, but is often given artificial colouring, most commonly blue,[citation needed] which confers an exotic appearance to cocktails and other mixed drinks—given that almost no drinks or other foodstuffs exist that are truly blue by nature. Some other liqueurs are also sold as Curaçaos with different flavours added, such as coffee, chocolate, and rum and raisin. A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavoued with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavours to marry. The word liqueur comes from the Latin liquifacere (“to liquefy”). A distinction can be made between liqueurs and the kind of cordials that are made with fruit juice. In some parts of the world, people use the words “cordial” and “liqueur” interchangeably.[citation needed] Liqueurs date back centuries and are historical descendants of herbal medicines, often those prepared by monks, as Chartreuse or Bénédictine. Liqueurs were made in Italy as early as the 13th century and their consumption was later required at all treaty signings during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, liqueurs are made worldwide and are served in many ways: by themselves, poured over ice, with coffee, mixed with cream or other mixers to create cocktails, etc. They are often served with or after a dessert. Liqueurs are also used in cooking. Some liqueurs are prepared by infusing certain woods, fruits, or flowers, in either water or alcohol, and adding sugar or other items. Others are distilled from aromatic or flavouring agents. The distinction between liqueur and spirits (sometimes liquors) is not simple, especially since many spirits are available in a flavoued form today. Flavoued spirits, however, are not prepared by infusion. Alcohol content is not a distinctive feature. At 15-30%, most liqueurs have a lower alcohol content than spirits, but some liqueurs have an alcohol content as high as 55%. Dessert wine, on the other hand, may taste like a liqueur, but contains no additional flavouring. Anise liqueurs have the interesting property of turning from transparent to cloudy when added to water: the oil of anise remains in solution in the presence of a high concentration of alcohol, but crystallises when the alcohol concentration is reduced. Layered drinks are made by floating different-coloured liqueurs in separate layers. Each liqueur is poured slowly into a glass over the back of a spoon or down a glass rod, so that the liquids of different densities remain unmixed, creating a striped effect.