A Portuguese Love

From top to bottom: one of the new advertising posters, the censured poster, and the most famous one. Over a century ago this Licor Beirão sweet beverage was already being produced in Lousã (Coimbra's District). It's made from several different plants from Lousã's mountain and aromatic seeds imported from Turkey, India, Brazil, and Sri Lanka. The story is that a Port Wine salesman passing by fell in love with the local pharmacist's daughter and they got married. The pharmacist was selling natural liquors and this maybe was kind of usual in the XIX century because my grandfather also runs a pharmacy and he also knew how to produce liquors. A new law then makes it forbidden to attribute medicinal properties to alcoholic drinks. The Port Wine traveler took at his charge the production of liquors. The name Licor Beirão comes from the region where a congress took place in 1929. Beirão is a native of Beira’s province. The liquor was then baptized to honor the r...

Vinho Verde is a unique product. Portugal is the one place to find it. This great wine has a blending of aromas that makes it one of the most delicious natural beverages. Some of it can have light bubbles. I love to drink it very fresh on Summer days - 8-10º C is the ideal temperature. It's ideal to go with seafood. Most times I just pick a beer because it's less expensive. Vinho Verde is Medium in alcohol and has great digestive properties due to its freshness. In the market, you can find red and white wines. The reds are full-bodied wines with an intense color and a rosy or light red foam. The whites usually present a lemony or straw color. Verde is the Portuguese word for green. But Vinho Verde hasn't relation with the color. Verde also means not ripe. But that does not mean that this wine is made from unripened grapes. The main characteristic is that Vinho Verde should be drunk while it's still young. It will not get better as time goes by. The Demarcated Region ...