Calamansi, a Filipino citrus fruit, has gained recognition in cocktails for its unique sweet and sour flavor profile. Bartenders have incorporated it into drinks like the Paper Plane and the Tiny Sparrow Martini, which features Manille Liqueur de Calamansi. It blends characteristics of tangerines and limes, offering a well-rounded flavor. Calamansi's rising popularity parallels that of other Filipino flavors like pandan and ube. However, there are concerns about these ingredients being disconnected from their cultural origins, emphasizing the significance of maintaining cultural roots.
"I would describe calamansi as a tangerine plus a lime. Lime [has] a dry, acrid flavor and lemon has a sweetness and florality. Adding calamansi gives you a more well-rounded picture of flavor, kind of like the lighter outlines in a painting."
"The thing that can fundamentally hurt is when those ingredients become divorced from their cultural roots. We can't forget where they came from."
"This is a quintessential Filipino citrus fruit. It's a nice metaphor for how small the country is, but how long we've had to deal with colonization. We are everywhere, and we are resilient."
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