Tradition and popular Madeira Drinks

PONCHA

Often made of sugar cane rum, sugar cane honey, and lemon juice. "Poncha" is drunk in the cold of the winter or in Christmas season.

NIKITA

This drink is common in Câmara de Lobos and is prepared in a centrifugal machine. It is used white wine, vanilla ice cream, pineapple and sugar.

At the end we add white beer.

QUENTINHA

Coffee with sugarcane rum, sugar and lemon peal.

These last two drinks are mostly served in the winter or when the weather is cold.

All of them, nowadays, are substituted by snacks.

PÉ DE CABRA

It is a mixture of dry wine with black beer, sugar, and lemon peal and powder chocolate.

SANGRIA TROPICAL

This drink must be drunk very chilled and it consists of red wine, lemonade, orange juice, sugar and fine cuts of fruit (orange, lemon, apple and peppermint leaves).

CORTADINHO

Coffee with dry wine and lemon peal.

CIDRA

It is a light drink, with low alcohol graduation, good tasting and refreshing during the hot days of the summer.

It is made of apple, which is smashed by wooden fulling mill. Its fermentation is done in wooden casks.

LICORES

There is a wide variety of liqueurs, such as:

Liqueur of Anise, of Sweetsop, of Loquat, of Beer, of Peppermint, of Passion Fruit, of Brazil Cherry, of Sugar Cane Honey, of Sculling Oar, of Banana, among many others. They are better appreciated during Christmas season, accompanied with Honey Cake and broas.

Madeira Wine is one the main sources of richness of the economy.
It was introduced by the time of people settlement under the orders of Henry The Navigator. The first cast was the Malmsey. It came from Candia, a Greece island.
The first export to Europe occurred in 1515 to France to the king Francis I Court.
Since the decline of the sugar cycle in 17th century, the production of Madeira Wine increased and today it has particular place in the economy of the Island.
Madeira Wine became internationally well known in the 18th century. It turned to be at that time, "the most expensive and appreciated wine in the world.
When in 1852 and 1875 the vineyard plagues of "oidium" and "philoxera" threatened the wine production, it was the import of new twigs (then grafted on noble castes) that made possible the survival of this industry.
The particular taste of the grapes is due to the ground and mild climate of the Island.
Although there are more than 30 different casts in Madeira, the noblest are the Malvasia, Verdelho, Boal and Sercial, which we find in the south and in Porto Santo.