Obscure Spirits - Agwa del Bolivia

by Andrew Barrow, Posted Jan 8th 2006 @ 12:32PM

Although claiming a Bolivian heritage, this herby, minty, nutty creation is manufactured in Holland. It does however use Bolivian Coca leaves in addition to Chinese ginseng and Brazilian guarana.

The coca leaves are macerated and distilled by a pharmaceutical company. This process also removes the cocaine residue from the leaves. In addition to the herby, nutty flavours, there are hints of prunes, clove and aniseed plus eucalyptus. Makes you want to rush out and try some right away!

How do you drink it? Cocktails galore listed on the website. They also give specific instructions for the Bolivian Kiss Ritual. Which marketing wizard thought this up? You take a pinch of dried lime powder and put it in your mouth. Follow this with a shot of Agwa de Bolivia. The lime apparently changes the PH level of the mouth and activates the alkaloids of the Coca leaf to produce a powerful effect - an Oxygen Buzz which is handy in the hinterlands of the Andes but perhaps less desirable in aBasingstoke semi.

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Filed Under: Food Oddities, Drink Recipes
Tags: agwa, bolivian kiss, cocktail recipes, cocktails, food and drink, oddities, south america