Liqueur de Warang

This past weekend 12 volunteers converged on Liqueur de Warang, a local distillery just outside of Mbour that makes fruit liqueurs from local ingredients and spices. It has been on my Senegal bucket-list for quite a while now, and the simultaneous birthdays of two of my stage-mates was the perfect excuse for an 11am tasting.

The distillery looks like a cross between a monastery and a botanical garden, and has a beautiful outdoor bar. There are six or seven different liqueurs available for free tasting that vary depending on season and availability.We quickly made good friends with the guy behind the bar, who poured us more than our fair share of free shots, and explained how they were distilled and flavored.

Tasting options

Kombonella was an orange, lemon and grapefruit concoction that tasted just like a lemon drop. It had a sour first bite and an alcoholic bite that delivered a swift kick to the uvula on the way down. In my opinion it was better taken as a shot rather than sipped, but then again I'm not a huge fan of sour. My favorite part was the chunks of real fruit resting on the bottom of my shot glass.

Passion Warang was a sweeter liqueur with a slightly lower alcohol content that was distilled from passion fruit. It had less of a bite, which made me feel less guilty about drinking it at 11 o'clock in the morning. I could imagine sipping it poolside on a hot summer day.

Cocana was a pineapple and coconut concoction that tasted more or less like a pina colada. You could definitely taste the coconut.

Menthe was, in my opinion, exactly what Senegalese attaya (tea) should taste like. The only ingredients are sugar and mint leaves bought in the local market, yet the whiskey-colored liquid managed to conjure up all kinds of different associations. It was like pepperment hot-chocolate, but without the chocolate. Not a toothpaste/mouthwashy mint flavor, but the sweet minty aftertaste of a glass of attaya without  the bitterness of the green tea. I liked it so much I bought a bottle.

Kombonella

Pomme Cajou is made by fermenting cashew apples, and it was the flavor that surprised me the most. I'm not a big fan of cashew fruit, because although the fruit itself is extremely juicy (and messy!), it has so many tannins that it immediately sucks all moisture out of your mouth and turns your lips inside out. I have a really hard time getting past the dryness to even recognize the flavor, so I was pleasantly surprised to have my first real taste of cashew apples in the liqueur. Delicious!

Creme de Warang was last but certainly not least on the list. This one was my absolute favorite, a creamy mix of milk, cocoa, coffee, sugar and bananas. It would be perfect in an Irish coffee. I was so taken with it that the bartender offered me several more shots, and I ended up leaving with two bottles; one to be carefully rationed for the rest of my service and one to bring home to America to share!