ʻŌkolehao is a Hawaiian alcoholic spirit whose main ingredient was the root of the ti plant. 'Ōkolehao's forerunner was a fermented ti root beverage or beer. When distillation techniques were introduced by English seamen in 1790, it was distilled into a highly alcoholic spirit.
Hawaiians discovered that if the ti root is baked, a sweet liquid migrates to the surface of the root. Chemically, the heat changes the starch in the root to a fermentable sugar. The baked root is then soaked in a vat of water which dissolves the sugar, and fermentation begins. The fermented drink was later distilled into a highly alcoholic spirit which became Hawaii's only indigenous distilled spirit, and was prized by the king. The Merrie Monarch, King David Kalakaua, is said to have had his own distiller.
Etymology
The name is from the iron try pots that were brought ashore from sailing ships and converted into stills, and literally meant "iron butt", from Hawaiian ʻōkole ("butt") + hao ("iron").
History
After the initial production of ʻōkolehao in 1790, Hawaiians added sugar cane as another fermentable. When pineapple was introduced, this too was sometimes added for its sugar content. When Japanese and Chinese immigrants arrived to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields they brought with them their native rice. The propagated rice was also sometimes added to the formula. By the beginning of World War II Hawaiians were producing ʻōkolehao of various formulations, all of which were sold to US military personnel located at the many bases in Hawaii. Spirit alcohol made from grains was rationed during the war and used for fuel by the military forces; the resulting shortage was good for ʻōkolehao sales, but encouraged many hastily produced inferior products. When the war was over, the production of ʻōkolehao gradually died out as rum and vodka became readily available and better-tasting than the crude ʻōkolehao then being produced.
Just as moonshine on the mainland was produced using various formulas, ʻōkolehao was produced using various fermentable ingredients such as taro. Aging in used whiskey barrels improved the flavor, though this was rarely done.
While the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives once recognized ʻōkolehao as a unique class, like vodka, gin, bourbon, tequila, whiskey, liqueur, etc., it is now recognized as a distilled spirits specialty (DSS), which requires the producer or distiller to submit the exact ingredients and general formula to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and include a truthful and adequate statement of composition on the label.
For the short time ʻōkolehao was legally made in Hawaii after the war and into the sixties, the state of Hawaii granted ʻōkolehao a reduced tax rate. That reduced tax was ruled by the US federal government to be illegal due to discriminatory taxation of a spirit product.
Current production
Island Distillers in Honolulu makes 100-US-proof (50% Alcohol by volume) Hawaiian ʻŌkolehao, a re-creation of the original ʻōkolehao. There have been several past and recent productions of an okolehao type liqueur which is made by blending extracts of ti plant root, or ground up and emulsified ti root, with sugar syrup, rum, neutral spirits, bourbon, and other artificial and natural flavorings. Liqueurs are generally sweet from the heavy sugar addition, and are considered rectified spirits rather than distilled spirits. They are between 60 and 80 US proof, and taste much like a sweet fruit brandy, bearing little resemblance to the original ʻōkolehao. True or original-style ʻōkolehao generally had alcohol content in the range of 85–100 proof, dependent on the efficiency of the distillation process. The finished product was determined at the point the moonshiner decided that their ʻōkolehao had the right "hit" or "punch". Some full-strength ʻōkolehao were and are made at a proof up to 130 proof, 65% alcohol by volume, the proof obtainable by most illegal pot stills in a single pass.
Ola Brewery, headquartered in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, has recently purchased the 40-acre Hilo Sugar Mill with the intent of commencing retail ʻōkolehao production in 2023.