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Pure Curaçao

Fruit too small and bitter to eat yields puckery sweet orange liqueur

Referred to as the “international ambassador for the island of Curaçao,” the Senior company’s Genuine Curacao of Curacao liqueur has a long and trying history, not unlike Curaçao itself. After the Spaniards discovered the island in 1499, they brought over their sweet and sour Valencia orange and cultivated it in the tropical soil of Curaçao. While the hardy little fruit adapted beautifully to the hot, dry climate, its flavor was forever changed into a bitter, almost inedible produce, which locals called the laraha orange. The new creation was disregarded for decades, until someone discovered that once dried in the sun, the peels of this orange contained an etheric oil. The rest is, as they say, history.

Since 1896, the Senior company has worked to perfect the art of laraha cultivation and the delicate balance of exotic spices infused with the laraha’s oil to produce the famous Curacao liqueur. At the 11th International Contest for Liqueurs, held in Paris in 1973, Senior’s authentic Curacao of Curacao liqueur was awarded the highest prize. It was the first in a long line of awards and distinctions for the homegrown spirit.

The next time you belly-up to a bar in Curaçao, make sure to try this iconic liqueur and enjoy the taste that is pure Curaçao. Containing 31% alcohol, the spirit is available in red, orange, blue, green and clear varieties, and each color tastes the same. Other Senior products come in chocolate, rum raisin, mandarin and coffee flavors. Or, visit the Senior distillery in Landhuis Chobolobo, a 17th-century mansion in Salina, and partake in delicious tastings and take free tours.

As you exit, stop at the souvenir shop to pick up gift sets and take a piece of Curaçao home with you. Landhuis Chobolobo opens Monday to Friday,  8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. (Schottegatweg Oost 129, 599-9-461-3526, www.curacaoliqueur.com)

Take me shopping in Curacao!