MY SARISARI STORE

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Mr. Joselito Mallari pointing at one of his bottles of lambanog.

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Mallari is the oldest distillery in Tayabas and is located in Barangay Lalo just outside the town of Tayabas.

In 1928, the parents of Doña Josefita Alandy pioneered the establishment of a lambanog distillery as a family enterprise. This entrepreneurial initiative was handed down to the next generation. Lambanog then became commonly known in Tayabas as "Alak Fita" of the Alandy family. Today, Joselito Mallari, the grandson of Doña Josefita manages the distillery known as Mallari Distillery.

Mr. Joselito Mallari understood that 80 to 90% proof Lambanog was too strong for export purposes. He was able to lower the alcohol content to around 26% to suit foreign tastes. Through the years, various flavors of lambanog have been introduced. Fruits, nuts and spices are added to pure, colorless lambanog to give the liquor a distinct flavor.

He also realized that to be able to compete in the international market he needed to make more attractive bottles. The VuQo bottle is his latest design and will be introduced in Europe and the US in the near future.

    Lambanog (coconut vodka)

Fresh sap from the coconut tree. The tuba is allowed to ferment for a period of two to three days (after that the tuba turns into vinegar).

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The evaporated alcohol is condensed using flowing water to liquefy the alcohol in gaseous phase.

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The fermented tuba is then boiled, which normally last 8 to 12 hours. The destillate collected is 80-90% proof lambanog.

It takes six liters of fermented sap to produce a liter of pure lambanog.

Most of the Lambanog distilleries are in the Quezon province and the most famous destilleries are located in the town of Tayabas (143 kilometers southeast of Metro Manila).

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                 Sky bridges

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Sky bridges are made from slim bamboo poles connecting the trees at more than 10 meters (30 foot) heights which the sap gatherer (mangangaret) use for crisscrossing from one tree to another. This saves time and energy.

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Tuba is mostly written with a "u" but  obviously also  with a  "o" in some regions.

Tuba ferments naturally, the first day it tastes like sour orange juice, each day it gets stronger, and the alcohol content increases. The alcohol content is quite low but if you drink too much of it you can become drunk. Tuba turns sours after two or three days.

Once collected, the sap (or tuba) is allowed to ferment into a natural coconut vinegar. Natural fermentation takes 45-60 days. Unfiltered and unheated, it is then bottled and sealed fresh to protect its goodness. The color of the vinegar changes as it ages, from cloudy white to light yellow to a clear light brown as it further matures.

As the vinegar ages, sediments will appear at the bottom. Film and coin-like gel will also appear and eventually become the "mother vinegar". They eventually thicken and float. This is a natural characteristic of organic coconut nectar vinegar. Naturally fermented coconut vinegar contains vitamins and minerals like Beta-carotene, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Sodium.

This coconut vinegar works very well in dips, salad dressings and mayonnaise recipes. It is very high in potassium and alkalinizing minerals, helpful for digestion, and still contains the probiotic flora that create the vinegar from the sap in the first place.

(Source: Wilderness Family Naturals )

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The fresh sap is sweet and nonalcoholic; allowed to ferment, it becomes sour and mildly alcoholic.

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Tuba is sometimes dyed with mangrove bark.

The mangangaret (sickle handler or gatherer) with his carboy (bamboo tube).

The tuba is freshly gathered sap obtaind from the lopped-off, growing tip of the tree in bamboo tubes. The sap is induced to ooze out by the mangangaret (sickle handler or gatherer)who shave off part of the coconut blossems. The sap flows out straight to the bamboo tubes used as collecting vessels. The handlers transfer the sap from the bamboo tubes to the carboy that they carry on their backs. Gatherers climb the trees once or twice a day to collect the sap.

        Tuba (coconut wine)

An agile man climbs a palm tree to collect the sap of an unopened coconut bud. Note the bamboo container (tukil or carboy) on his back and a short-handled sickle at his side.

This is the second way to harvest coconuts. You just climb to the top of the coconut tree... Coconut farmers usually chop off portions of the trunk surface to serve as steps when climbing the trunk.
Note that climbing is mainly done to collect the coconut sap that will be used to make tuba (coconut wine) and lambanog (coconut vodka) and not to harvest coconuts.

Tuba used to be very popular during social gatherings but it has now become an almost extinct art. The tuba drinking culture has lost its appeal because of commercialized drinking (gin, rhum, etc.)

                Coconut Oil

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The copra is brought to oil mills by truck.

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral and antibacterial.  Studies have been done on its effectiveness in lowering the viral load of HIV/AIDS patients. Coconut oil is also being used by thyroid sufferers to increase body metabolism, and to lose weight. Virgin coconut oil is also used for making natural soaps and other health products, as it is one of the healthiest things we can put on our skin.

At one time coconut oil received bad publicity because of its high level of saturated fat. However, modern research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that the fatty acids in coconut oil, the medium chain triglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease like the long chain triglycerides found in seed oils.

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The copra is stored in a huge storage room. The workers you see in the pictures are busy loading a truck that will go to a copra processing factory.