Medronho

Medronho is made from the fruit of Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree, a shrub that grows wild across the Algarve hills and produces round red berries in autumn. The berries are gathered, fermented in vats for weeks or months, then distilled in a copper alembic over a wood fire, usually twice, producing a clear spirit of forty-five per cent and often considerably more. It is a rural household tradition as much as an industry: many producers work small stills on their own land, and while licensed distilleries exist and sell bottled and certified product, a large volume is still made and sold informally in unlabelled bottles, which is illegal and unregulated. That matters practically - unregulated distilling carries a real risk of methanol contamination if the heads are not properly discarded, and buying from a licensed producer rather than a plastic bottle at a roadside is the sensible course.

Highlights

• The berries - wild strawberry-tree fruit gathered in autumn from the hills.
• The copper alembic - wood-fired stills, usually run twice.
• The strength - forty-five per cent and frequently a good deal more.
• The two economies - licensed bottled product alongside a large informal trade.

When to go

Distilling runs roughly December to March. Bars in Monchique and the hill villages serve it year-round; licensed distilleries take visitors by arrangement.

Things to know

Unlicensed home-distilled spirit is widely sold and carries a genuine methanol risk if badly made - buy licensed and labelled product. It is very strong, whatever the glass size suggests. Roadside plastic-bottle sales are exactly what to avoid. Distillery visits need arranging.

Nearby

Monchique and Caldas de Monchique are the centre; the Caldeirão hills run east.