The tropical flavour of the Marula fruit (Amarula)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Amarula
Date:	08/05/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious, light yet creamy, an unusual fruity flavour for a liqueur

Disadvantages: ----------

It's not often I drink but at my daughter's house the other day she showed me an unusual bottle of liqueur called Amarula, I loved the picture of the elephant on the label and the unusual golden tassel around the neck of the bottle. When she offered me a glass and told me it was a fruity liqueur I decided to take her up on it as it sounded like a nice change from the usual chocolate and coffee flavours most liqueurs tend to focus on.

Amarula is a South African liqueur made from the marula fruit which is distilled and then matured for two years before being blended with cream to create the finished drink. Amarula has an ABV of 17%, which is equal to most other cream liqueurs available.

It looks like the cheaper brands of Irish Cream, it has a thinner consistency than Baileys and although is the same rich beige colour it was a very subtle hint of pink which is really no more than a shade but it makes all the difference to the appearance. My daughter poured mine over ice and I must say it looks delicious and very luxurious.

The smell is quite unusual, it's distinctly fruity but this is a subtle aroma underneath the general creamy smell of the Amarula. I was surprised at how fruity it smelled actually and also that I could detect a blend of fruity flavours, I hadn't really had any idea what the marula fruit smelled like but I can confirm it's a tropical scent with perhaps a little berry aroma thrown in for good measure.

I love the taste of Amarula, it has a deliciously creamy consistency and although it's thinner than Baileys it has a much creamier texture. It tastes wonderfully luxurious and I was surprised when I asked my daughter the price to find she'd paid just £11 for the 700ml bottle in Tesco!

The taste is like no other liqueur I've ever drunk before. It has a creamy flavour, I can perhaps detect just a smidgen of coffee flavouring but the main thing is a lovely blend of fruitiness which comes through. There is a small alcoholic kick after each sip which is similar to the vague burn you get after drinking a glass of Baileys, this is a very pleasant sensation and although it's not a drink that will get you tipsy after just one glass I did find the overall flavour and creaminess helped make it a relaxing mellow beverage.

As I said, I drank mine over ice but I've just been browsing the Amarula website (www.amarula.co.za) and stumbled across a cocktail recipe that I believe would suit the sweet, fruity flavour of the drink perfectly. It's called an Amarula Sunset and you need 30ml of Amarula, 1/2 cup of good quality vanilla ice cream and 2 - 3 teaspoons of pureed strawberries. You blend the ingredients together and serve in a martini glass.

Summary: I think I shall drink this more often!