Drink “Keimada” – the original strong punch in a pumpkin!

“I raise this burning goblet, a piece of hellish flame that will make witches and other evil spirits scatter in horror on their brooms and drown in the raging waves of the ocean,” shouts a terrible shaman dressed in skins and deer antlers. Fire bubbles around, bagpipes squeal heartbreakingly, and you plunge into a primitive, animal ecstasy, ready to splash a blazing drink down your throat in order to burn out and be reborn from the flames. No, this is not a meeting of a secret lodge of fire worshipers, not a sacrifice, and not a scene from the Game of Thrones. This is the rite of making queimada, the Galician national burning “punch” in a gourd. That’s what I understand, “Jack’s lamp”, not like all these candles of yours!

Keimada is an old drink, with history, deep roots and a genuine mystical flair. They say that meeting him outside of Galicia – an area in northern Spain inhabited by gloomy highlanders – is almost impossible. This “punch” is made on the basis of orujo (in Galician – “kanya”), local grape vodka, with the addition of sugar, coffee, fruits. The whole thing burns perky and very spectacularly in a hollowed-out pumpkin, is consumed hot, accompanied by occult chants and playing the Galician bagpipe – gaita. Despite the fact that I have not met Galicians among the readers of our site, I see no reason not to prepare this unusual, spectacular and tasty drink for Halloween. And what – there is a pumpkin, it’s not a problem to get grape vodka from us, even the text of the spell is easy to find on the net. In general, for business! But first, as usual, a little general information. Read it, it’s interesting!

Queimada – the drink of the Celts?

Oddly enough, the Spanish region of Galicia has nothing to do with Ukrainian Galicia. But with the Celts – it has. Most likely, harsh Celtic men sailed here from the British Isles, located in relative proximity, took with them bagpipes, language, and some beliefs. And then they mixed with the then local residents, the Iberians, and formed a new ethnic group, called the “Celtiberians”. The locals firmly believe that it is from Celtic times that the keimada drink has its history. However, researchers tend to think otherwise – it is proved that Europeans did not know the technology of distillation before the Arab conquest of Spain. And there is no distillation – there is no Oruho grape moonshine, the basis of keimada. So, most likely, the Galician “punch” appeared after the reconquista. That, however, does not detract from its taste and aesthetic value.

Now keimada is not only a national tradition, but also a tourist attraction. And what? Beautiful, spectacular, mystical and very colorful – tourists always peck at this. If you are in Galicia, be sure to participate! Initially, large pumpkins were used to make keimada, but over time they gave way to special earthenware. But we don’t have such dishes, so we’ll cook according to the original recipe – it’s more effective and festive, and besides, the remnants of pumpkin pulp will give the drink an additional original flavor. It is better to drink from ceramic cups or glasses for mulled wine. But the coolest thing would be to buy separate small pumpkins for this or use calabash from under the mate.

When cooking keimada, it is customary to read spells aloud – they can be found on the net. Also, the atmospheric Celtic music, scary costumes – not a problem on the eve of Halloween – and the corresponding mood will not hurt. You don’t have to use normal spells. The main thing is to mention as many types of evil spirits as possible. And be sure to do it with a serious face – it’s funnier.

What is “oruho” and how can it be replaced?

Orujo is the national Spanish distillate, the most popular vodka in the north of the country. It is believed that it was invented in the Middle Ages by monks from Cantabria. After the drink spread throughout Spain, in Galicia it received a different name – caña. The locals are so fond of their version of grape moonshine and so proud of it that they even organized a special holiday in honor of orujo, which is celebrated in November – not quite on Halloween, but almost. At Fiesta del Orujo, it is customary to taste brandy from all Spanish distilleries. Based on the results, the winner is determined, who will carry the title of the best oruho producer in the country for a whole year. And of course, keimada is prepared on this day – how could it be without it!

Orujo is made from wine pomace, which is re-fermented and distilled on a beer column. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? So it is – orujo is almost a complete analogue of our chacha, Italian grappa, Peruvian pixo. So it makes no sense to bother looking for a bottle of Spanish exotics, you can safely use any high-quality grape moonshine or cognac spirit.

The “secret” recipe for making keimada

In fact, despite all this occult tinsel, there is nothing super complicated in the preparation of keimada; in terms of technology, it is very similar, for example, to hussar zhenka. The only thing is that you need to be very attentive to safety precautions, after all, a strong distillate will burn! It is best to make keimada on the street – the tasters will just have time to freeze slightly and the alcohol will go with a bang! In addition to the pumpkin, we also need a ceramic or any other ladle and dishes that are not afraid of high temperatures.

To begin with, we take a pumpkin, cut off the upper part from it – it will be a lid, – take out the seeds along with the seed bed, cut out a layer of pulp 1-2 cm with a spoon. Pour alcohol, fruits, sugar, spices, thinly cut lemon zest into the pumpkin, stir until the sugar dissolves. Now, in a separate small bowl or ladle, we pour a couple of tablespoons of sugar and pour a stopar of chacha, ignite the whole thing with a lighter and carefully pour it into a pumpkin, the contents of which, of course, immediately ignite.

There is no need to rush to put out this mini-fire. Keimada is not a very strong drink, since alcohol from it largely burns out. Our fragrant mess should blaze either until natural decay, or until the fire changes its color to bright blue. At this time, the punch should be periodically stirred with a long-handled spoon. After that, the pumpkin is closed with a pre-cut top and that’s it – keimada can be poured into cups of thirsty tasters, by which time it will already have a delicious aroma!

“Listen, listen! In the roar of the flame – the cries of those who cannot absorb the fire to cleanse themselves of evil! Let our souls ignite after the throat, turn into ashes and rise from it – new, clean, free from black thoughts, despondency and doubt!

On this sim, The Rum Diary says goodbye to you, wishing you a fun Halloween with a new original drink – keimada. We hope that today’s article will make you, if not kinder and cleaner, then certainly more educated and erudite. Cook interesting and varied, and consume – in moderation and with pleasure!