Shortly after the Spanish troops conquered the tropical island of Curaçao, they introduced the very popular Valencia Oranges to the local people. However, the dry air, sunny days, and change in soil were not ideal for the oranges. The locals were unpleasantly surprised by the bitterness and considered the fruit inedible. As the trees fell into oblivion, the bright orange color of the fruit transformed into the green peeled Curaçao orange.
After several years, the local producers discovered that, when dried well by the Caribbean sun, the peel contains many aromatic oils. For the finest result, the orange must be harvested when unripe, because, when getting riper, the peel gets thinner.
Experiments with the dried peel and local liquor led to the creation of the famous Curaçao liqueur.
The bitter taste of the Curaçao oranges is extracted to balance the sweet and flavorful Valencia orange. It is the perfect finishing touch to this bitter-sweet rum.
Fun Fact: The oranges were considered enormously bitter, not even the goats would dare to eat the mutated Valencia oranges by Curaçaoan soil.
