From Palm to Potion: Akpetishie, Ogogoro, and Sodabi’s African Legacy

The distillates Akpetishie, Ogogoro, and Sodabi are obtained by fermenting the sap of the Raffia palm tree, which is also used to manufacture ropes and artifacts.

The different names are from Ghana, Nigeria, and Benin, respectively, and do not differ significantly in manufacture.

As is common in many cultures, the distillate has had and continues to have spiritual meaning.

Previously, it was only drunk during religious holidays or weddings, but it is now a widespread practice.

The attending priest pours a part of the distillate into the ground during these rites, indicating reverence and repayment to the mother and expressing good wishes and luck to the pair, as is common in many rural communities throughout the world.

The production procedure is similar to that of other distillates of plant origin, with two separate methods.

One forecast says that the palm tree will survive, while the other predicts that it will be taken down.

When the palm begins to blossom, workers cut the bark with hollow nails to increase the sugar content of the sap.

Workers collect the profuse liquid that flows out of the plant every day in a plastic tank attached to each nail to prevent undesirable refermentations induced by the sweltering temperature.

The Art of Distillation: A Craft Passed Down Through Generations

The second method entails chopping down the plant, always before to blossoming.

The natural course of the sap from the roots to the leaves is followed by angling the stem towards the leaves. Placing the stem obliquely towards the leaves improves entire lymph outflow inside the vessels or, if they are not there, inside a big hole formed before the crown.

The sap ferments for 72 hours at this stage, generating “palmwine,” or palm wine, which can also be eaten in this form.

The alcohol percentage achieved is determined on the palm and the season, and it ranges from roughly 4 to a maximum of 5 degrees.

At this step, distillers frequently utilize crude stills manufactured from oil-filled drums to distill the palm wine.

The outcome, almost often accomplished with a single pass, lacks elegance, frequently resulting in highly harsh and alcoholic effects. The still distills brandy at roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit and dilutes it with rainwater to create a drinking strength of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or a stronger version at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

The distillate, when drank without age, has a smokey smell due to the direct fire of the stills, which frequently burns the interior liquid due to the legendary “flame blow.” To offer a flavor example, this note is reminiscent to mezcal, however lacking in subtlety.

Another issue is the presence of methyl alcohol, which, owing to artisanal distillation, stays in the final product and cannot be removed.

Challenges and Future of African Distillates in 2023

Production is mostly in the hands of craftsmen and families, but “industrial” distillation should begin soon, since the pandemic of alcoholism, caused by the use of low-quality alcohol, has reached alarming proportions, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana.

Due to extreme poverty, alcohol is sometimes utilized as the sole source of nutrition, a condition reminiscent to the old English “Gin Craze.”