Hesperidina

Ingredients

What is in the bottle

• Hesperidina, a bitter orange aperitif at 21% ABV, created in Buenos Aires in 1864 by Melville Sewell Bagley
• Peel of bitter oranges (naranja amarga), macerated in alcohol; the peel, not the juice, carries the flavour
• Sugar and water, to sweeten and reduce the strength
• A blend of aromatic herbs, the exact formula still held by the maker

To serve as an aperitivo

• 50 mlHesperidina
• 150 mlsoda water or tonic water, ice cold
• Ice cubes, to fill the glass
• 1 sliceof orange and, if you like, a strip of orange peel

The classic mix

• 50 mlHesperidina
• 50 mlsweet red vermouth
• Ice, and a green olive on a stick

Directions

1. Know the source: bitter orange peel is dried and macerated in neutral alcohol for weeks, which extracts the oils and the bitter glycosides in the pith and skin.
2. The maceration is blended with a herb infusion, then sweetened with sugar syrup and reduced with water to 21% ABV, giving a sweet-bitter liqueur rather than a spirit.
3. It was patented in Argentina in 1864 and is the country’s oldest continuously produced branded drink; the anti-counterfeiting engraving on the label was one of the first trademarks registered in Argentina.
4. To serve it plainly, fill a tumbler with ice, pour 50 ml of Hesperidina and top with cold soda water. Stir once, no more.
5. Add an orange slice, squeezing the peel over the surface first so the oils sit on top and meet you before the first sip.
6. For the vermouth mix that porteño cafés served for a century, stir equal parts Hesperidina and sweet red vermouth over ice for 20 seconds and garnish with an olive.
7. For a longer, drier drink, use tonic instead of soda; the quinine reinforces the orange bitterness.
8. Serve at the start of a meal with a picada of cheese, olives and preserved vegetables, which is how it is drunk in Argentina.

Technique

• This is a commercial liqueur, not a home distillate, and the recipe remains proprietary. What you can do at home is make a bitter orange liqueur by macerating peel in alcohol, but it will not be Hesperidina.
• The name comes from the Hesperides of Greek myth, guardians of the golden apples, and from hesperidin, the flavonoid in citrus peel.
• Bitter orange is Citrus aurantium, the Seville orange, not the sweet eating orange; the difference is the whole flavour.
• It is sweeter than an Italian bitter such as Campari, so it takes soda better than it takes tonic if you dislike sweetness.

Substitutions

• No Hesperidina: a bitter orange liqueur such as Aperol is sweeter and lighter, while a good triple sec with two dashes of orange bitters is drier; neither is exact.
• For cooking or for a spritz, use half Hesperidina and half dry sparkling wine over ice.

Variations

• Hesperidina con soda, the plain aperitivo.
• Hesperidina y vermouth, the old café mix with an olive.
• Hesperidina spritz, with sparkling wine and soda over plenty of ice.

History

Created in Buenos Aires in 1864 by American Melville Sewell Bagley; it became the first trademark registered in Argentina, in 1876.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hesperidina?

Hesperidina is a wine & spirit from Argentina: bitter orange-peel aperitif, drunk with soda, tonic or vermouth. Created in Buenos Aires in 1864 by American Melville Sewell Bagley; it became the first trademark registered in Argentina, in 1876.

How long does Hesperidina take to make?

Hesperidina takes 5 min to serve of preparation and Weeks of maceration, at the factory of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bottle, 750 ml (about 15 aperitivos). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Hesperidina?

Yes, within limits. No Hesperidina: a bitter orange liqueur such as Aperol is sweeter and lighter, while a good triple sec with two dashes of orange bitters is drier; neither is exact. For cooking or for a spritz, use half Hesperidina and half dry sparkling wine over ice.

What is the most important thing to get right in Hesperidina?

The maceration is blended with a herb infusion, then sweetened with sugar syrup and reduced with water to 21% ABV, giving a sweet-bitter liqueur rather than a spirit.