TRISE CORDIAL
Trise Cordial is an herb liqueur 55% alcohol by volume (ABV) adapted from the Banu drink otisau falu for safe Human consumption. Introduced to the market in SEY 2789, it has an herbal flavor profile with pungent notes of salammoniac. The original Banu version of the drink is distilled from both water and ammonia-based herbs grown on Trise I, and is poisonous to Humans.
FLAVOR
Trise Cordial has a strong, characteristic taste: bitter and herbal with a sweet undercurrent as it contacts the palate, followed by salammoniac with a hint of pine upon swallowing. It is often served at room temperature in a cordial glass as an aperitif. Trise Cordial is used as an ingredient in place of bitters in some cocktails, such as the whiskey-based Trise Sling, a drink first made popular at the G-Loc Bar in Area18 on ArcCorp (Stanton III). Clair Rios of Cafe Musain in the Nyx system takes credit for the recipe, claiming that bartenders working for G-Loc stole it when they passed through Delamar in 2911.
HISTORY
While the origin of otisau falu is not known, it has been consumed by Banu at least since Humans first made contact with them in the early 25th century. Although many safe Banu products entered the United Nations of Earth (UNE) market around this time, otisau falu was banned in 2445 after three Humans were accidentally poisoned from a Slomaddon containing the drink. It wasn't until 2789 that it became available, when a distillery Souli on the Nuso flotilla hit upon a Human-safe version of the cordial with little alteration to the flavor. It attracted a small but dedicated following among people who would visit the flotilla and bring bottles back with them to the United Empire of Earth (UEE). Eventually the drink became popular enough that the Souli was able to take its profits and move to Trise I, where it could have more immediate and inexpensive access to the herbs.
In 2802, it caught the attention of the Terran Liquor Group (TLG), a distributor based on Terra (Terra III). Sensing opportunity, the corporation sent representatives to the Souli that created the beverage to strike a distribution deal. Under the terms of the contract, TLG would handle marketing, bottling, and label design, and the Souli would handle distillation. To market the new drink, TLG embellished its origins with a story of ascetic Banu living spiritual lives on Trise I who produce the liqueur as a form of prayer. To further emphasize this connection, they named it Trise Cordial.
Sales went well for five years, until the Essosouli of the original Souli Divested and the Souli dissolved. New Soulis founded by former members of the old distillery Souli popped up, all making their own versions of Trise Cordial. After a long negotiation period, TLG extended its distribution deal to the newly founded Soulis; a practice that they continued until 2834, when inconsistencies among the various batches forced the company to distill the liqueur itself to maintain a consistent product.
Despite TLG employing Banu distillers and using ingredients grown on Trise I, many connoisseurs of otisau falu claim that the current Trise Cordial recipe is a poor imitation of the authentic version. A small market for artisanal Souli-distilled versions of the drink has arisen. However, TLG's Trise Cordial remains the best-selling and most well-known version of the liqueur in the UEE.