Post #470074 by mrdistiller on Sun, Jul 19, 2009 6:27 AM

OK now, new poster here, but I had to clear up some seeming misconceptions. The okolehao, oke, that you folks seem to be talking about is not the traditional, i.e. "real" okolehao. The brandy style drink last made several years ago is a bastardization of the traditional Hawaiian moonshine okolehao. Ti root, bread fruit, sugar, fermented and distilled, is okolehao. The breadfruit may be optional. Remember, this was an illegally produced moonshine product, produced by many different individuals. Therefore, just like moonshiners elsewhere, recipes and thus taste, differed. What's it supposed to taste like? Who knows? Probably nobody alive. What's the recipe? Well, just mash some ti root, perhaps some breadfruit, add to dissolved sugar in water, add some yeast, and ferment. It would be helpful to measure the sugar content with a brix meter, shoot for 20-25%; this will let you judge how much sugar to add. After that you'll distill it in a pot still and see if it tastes good; big help if you know how to run a pot still. Experimenting with the quantities and preparation of ingredients will give you a flavor you can enjoy. There's no way to say if it will be like the old style, because as I stated, no one knows what that tasted like. But it most definitely was not the flavored brandy you've got in your old bottles.