Amarula Cream: What Am I Even Saying?

Chances are, you’ve never had Amarula.  To be frank, you’ve probably never heard of it either.  Don’t feel bad.  This is a common problem and one I am here to correct.  Shall we begin with a bit of history?

Amarula is a product of South Africa, by way of Zimbabwe.  It is concocted quite simply from sugar, cream and the fruit of the marula tree, also called the “Elephant Tree” or the “Marriage Tree” by locals.  The marula fruit is highly nutritious and used in a variety of ways, from the skin down to the nut.  It is a protected tree in South Africa, and the fruit is only harvested from wild trees.  It has never been cultivated by man.

The process of making Amarula is fairly labor intensive, and far too long to list here.  Essentially, a wine is made from the fruit, distilled to liquor and then aged for two years in oak.  Finally, the liquor is blended into the cream, and Amarula Cream is born.  There’s more to it than that, but you get the idea.

Bored with the informational blather yet?  I am too.  Let’s move on to the drinking.

Amarula cream pours thickly, as all cream liquors do, and delivers a fruity nose with an underlying hint of alcohol.  The taste is fairly unique, but you can pick up hints of caramel and banana.  I have to assume this is what a maralu fruit tastes like, but having never sampled it, I can’t be sure.  This stuff coats your throat on the way down, which is helpful because there’s a sharp bite from the alcohol, which is surprising since Amarula only rocks out at 17% alcohol. I find it to be delicious, but I would most likely mix it rather than drink it straight.  Possibly in some milk, probably in some coffee and definitely in a milkshake.

Well, that’s that.  Now you know about Amarula Cream.  Give it a spin.  Every bottle you buy helps fund the Amarula Elephant Research program, which I presume helps elephants.  Now that’s something we can all get behind.

-Out.

Tags: creams, reviews
Category: Spirit Reviews