Agwa de Bolivia, often shortened to AGWA, is a herbal liqueur made with Bolivian coca leaves and 37 other natural herbs and botanicals [1] including green tea, ginseng, and guarana, [2] distilled and produced in Amsterdam by BABCO Europe Limited. The coca leaf content of the drink, like that in Coca-Cola, has the cocaine alkaloids removed during production, and does not contain the drug.
The AGWA brand claims a longstanding heritage that honors traditional Bolivian coca leaf liqueurs, the first of which was produced by the De Medici family in Bologna in 1820. [3] Previous to this, however, the coca leaf had been used for thousands of years by the native South American population. However, they for the most part chewed the leaf; by comparison, the making of alcoholic drinks was of a more limited scope. [3] These older variants of the liqueur were enjoyed by many in anecdotal accounts, including Rudyard Kipling, who described the drink as being made "from the clippings and shavings of angels' wings". [4] AGWA itself claims to build upon this long-standing tradition of coca leaf infused liquor.
The leaves used for the production of AGWA are picked at 2000 metres above sea level in the Andes. [5] The leaves are then shipped under armed guard [6] to Amsterdam, where they are distilled to a strength of 78-88% alc./vol. and 36 other botanical elements are added. [5] This distillate is then reduced to 30% ABV. [5]
Agwa de Bolivia has been approved for consumption by the European Union Narcotics commission, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and TTB (Homeland security finished liquid & label).[ citation needed ]
AGWA also plays an integral role in the coca leaf museum in Amsterdam. [7] The museum deals with the history of the coca leaf from its use in ancient rituals to the modern day use of it in the illegal drug trade.
Gin is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
A liqueur is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond a resting period during production, when necessary, for their flavors to mingle.
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes, are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term tea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs are used in herbal medicine. Some herbal blends contain actual tea.
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine.
Liquore Galliano L'Autentico, known more commonly as Galliano, is a brand of sweet herbal liqueur produced in Italy. It was created in 1896 by Tuscan distiller and brandy producer Arturo Vaccari and named after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian officer of the Royal Italian Army of the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
Schnapps or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neutral grain spirits.
Bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are sold as digestifs, sometimes with herbal properties, and as cocktail flavorings.
Liquor is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit, distilled beverage, spirituous liquor or hard liquor. The distillation process concentrates the liquid to increase its alcohol by volume. As liquors contain significantly more alcohol (ethanol) than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered 'harder'; in North America, the term hard liquor is sometimes used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones, whereas the term spirits is more common in the UK. Some examples of liquors include vodka, rum, gin, and tequila. Liquors are often aged in barrels, such as for the production of brandy and whiskey, or are infused with flavorings to form a flavored liquor such as absinthe.
Fernet is an Italian type of amaro, a bitter, aromatic spirit. Fernet is made from a number of herbs and spices which vary according to the brand, but usually include myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and especially saffron, with a base of distilled grape spirits.
Génépi or génépy or genepì is a traditional herbal liqueur or aperitif popularized in the Alpine regions of Europe. Genepi also refers to alpine plants of the genus Artemisia that provide the liqueur's flavor and color, and the French Savoy region adjacent to the Aosta Valley, where the Artemisia genepi plants grow and where the beverage is commonly produced.
Coca tea, also called mate de coca, is an herbal tea (infusion) made using the raw or dried leaves of the coca plant, which is native to South America. It is made either by submerging the coca leaf or dipping a tea bag in hot water. The tea is most commonly consumed in the Andes mountain range, particularly Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and especially in Peru, where it is consumed all around the country. It is greenish yellow in color and has a mild bitter flavor similar to green tea with a more organic sweetness.
Nocino is a dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts. The walnuts and the liquor are handled using ceramic or wooden tools and placed in an alcoholic base. After steeping in spirit, the walnuts are removed and the alcohol is mixed with simple syrup. Nocino has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade; villages and even individual families often have their own recipes, including different additions like cinnamon, juniper berries, lemon or orange zest, vanilla pods, coffee beans, or clove. The spices are added lightly, to avoid overpowering the flavour of the walnuts. The classic base consists of pure alcohol but vodka can also be used. Nocino is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available nocino is typically 40 percent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.
Phillips Distilling Company is a beverage manufacturer and distributor based in Princeton, Minnesota, USA. A family-owned corporation, it produces a variety of alcoholic drink products. At one point it was the largest liquor distributor in the United States.
Mr. Boston, previously Old Mr. Boston, was a distillery located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1933 to 1986. It produced its own label of gin, bourbon, rum, and brandies, as well as a few cordials and liqueurs.
Absinthe is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium, together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historically described as a highly alcoholic spirit, it is 45–74% ABV or 90–148 proof US. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but may also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as la fée verte. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a liqueur, but is not traditionally bottled with added sugar, so is classified as a spirit. Absinthe is traditionally bottled at a high level of alcohol by volume, but it is normally diluted with water before being consumed.
Fernet-Branca is an Italian brand of fernet, a style of amaro or bitters. It was formulated in Milan in 1845, and is manufactured there by Fratelli Branca Distillerie.
AGWA or Agwa may refer to:
Zwack is a Budapest, Hungary based company that makes liqueurs and spirits. The company produces an 80 proof herbal liqueur known as Unicum from a secret blend of more than forty different herbs and spices. Unicum is known as one of the national drinks of Hungary.