Bottle the essence of Patagonia at beautiful Frio Lake
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 27.38 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,240 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 1,240 ft
- Max elevation
- 1,947 ft
- TrailRank
- 25
- Min elevation
- 934 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Coordinates
- 470
- Uploaded
- June 30, 2014
- Recorded
- June 2014
near Coihaique, Aisén (Chile)
Viewed 515 times, downloaded 3 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Waypoints
Waypoint
1,805 ft
Quincho Don Santiago
The adventure begins 23 km south of Coyhaique, in the family farm of Don Hernan Riquelme Jara and his wife, Señora Norma Quijada de La Hoz. Depart Coyhaique toward the Balmaceda Airport and turn left after 14 km, at the crossing for El Fraile (Route X-667). Continue along this route for approximately 7 km, until you reach Route X-659, marked with signs indicating Lago Frio. Take a right and drive another two km to a beautiful farm on the right hand side, which is home to the Quincho Don Santiago, a rural banquet house. The farm sits up on the hill and overlooks a panoramic view of Frio Lake, located just on the other side of the road. You’ll probably find Señora Norma working in her greenhouse or garden, or preparing marmalades, liqueurs or some other goodie in the Quincho. This farm originally belonged to pioneer, Belisario Jara, Hernan’s grandfather. Norma’s family also lived in the sector and they had always been friends, until, one magical day, they fell in love and later, decided to marry. They decided to live in the farm and restored Belisario’s historic home together, continuing the family traditions of ranching and farming. Norma learned how to make liqueurs from her mom who had learned from her own mom, Norma’s grandmother. The process is actually pretty straightforward; but, according to Norma, there are two important secrets that absolutely cannot be ignored. First, capturing the essence of Patagonia requires harvesting the fruits at the absolute height of their ripeness. Second, success demands patience; the marinating process can take up to six long months. You probably don’t have that much time in Patagonia; so, we suggest a bit of “paying it forward”. Spend the day with Señora Norma and Don Hernan and learn the tradition. Your batch will go into the queue, ready for a future visitor who, like you, is looking for the magic way to bottle Patagonia and take its essence home.
Provisioning
0 ft
Recipe for Patagonia Wild Fruit Artisan Liqueurs
Ingredients and equipment: • 1 liter bottle of aguardiente. • 2.5 kilos of wild fruit (calafate, murta, cherries, etc.). • 1 cup of sugar. • 3 cups of water. • Saucepan and strainer. • 5 liter glass container with a hermetic seal. • Cheesecloth to strain and filter the fruit. • Small sterilized bottles with corks or caps, for bottling the liqueur. Step 1: Collect and wash the fruit. Spend a few hours wandering the fields and forests of Norma and Hernan’s farm in search of the perfect fruits, at the height of their ripeness. You can use cherries, plums, calafate, murta, raspberries, wild strawberries, or any other delicious Patagonian flavor, including herbs, like sarsaparilla, mint or lemon verbena. Wash your treasures well and leave to drain, taking care to remove any stems that might leave a bitter taste in the liqueur. Step 2: Steep the fruits. This is one of the most important stages and using a good aguardiente will ensure the best results. Place the washed, drained and dried fruits in a large, 5 liter (or larger), glass container with a hermetic seal. Pour the entire bottle of aguardiente over the fruit and seal the container. Steep the fruits for at least two months in a darkened place that does not receive direct sunlight. Step 3: Prepare and add the syrup. Adding the syrup is a delicate process. You must use good quality sugar and the purest water possible, one without many minerals or impurities. Patagonia’s water is perfect! Mix 1 cup (250cc) of sugar with 3 cups of water and boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the syrup to cools and then add to the steeping fruits. Reseal and allow to distill out of direct sunlight, for at least two more months. Step 4: Filter and bottle. Use the cheesecloth to filter the fruit, filling the glass bottles with the filtered liqueur. It may be easier to filter the liqueur first into another large container and then pour the filtered liqueur into the smaller recipients. You can discard the fruits or, serve them as a garnish or dessert. Step 5: Time to taste! Now that you’ve proven your patience, it’s time to be rewarded with a taste. Señora Norma suggests serving your liqueur in brandy snifters or port wine glasses.
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