Pedoviejo -> RE: Spanish alcoholic beverages (Jan. 30 2013 4:42:57)
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Everyone seems to have gotten off on a tangent about Manzanilla. If it is very pale straw colored and in a sherry glass, okay, either fino or Manzanilla (which is just a fino produced down in Sanlucar by the sea). But if it is colorless, and, generally, not in a sherry glass, "aguardiente" is a general name, but more specifically, it is anis - very flamenco, anis, either seco (dry) or dulce (sweet), but the seco is what rocks the boat. Much more potent than Manzanilla, which, if ordered in Madrid, much more often meant chamomile tea rather than a type of sherry. There were several brands, such as Anis del Mono and La Navareña (or was it La Asturiana? memory fails), but Anis de Chinchón was by far the most popular, and that would be my bet for what Paco was drinking. It certainly was the "trago" of choice for the flamencos in the Bar el Cid that used to be across the street from the tablao Torres Bermejas back when Camarón was still singing there. (It’s also the bar where Paco and Camarón first met, and where I first met Juan Maya.) Between shows the artists would come across the street and belly up to the bar. “Chinchón. Seco,” they’d tell the bartender, then walk the glass over to the pinball machine where they’d rack up quite a few “free” games before going back over to the tablao. Along with all that black tobacco, I think it contributed to a great “rajo” voice. Also put some lead in the guitarist’s pulgar.
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