Okolehao is a Hawaiian alcoholic spirit made from the roots of ti plants. Only one distillery legally produces it, and any other oke available is considered Hawaiian moonshine. The recipe has evolved over time, with sugarcane and sweet potatoes being added. Hawaiians may have brewed low-alcohol beer before European contact, but they did not learn to distill until the 1790s. The recipes for okolehao have changed due to the importation of other plants and peoples into the Islands.
Okolehao, also called “oke,” is a Hawaiian alcoholic spirit that uses the roots of ti plants as a base. Over time, the way oke was made evolved, resulting in numerous recipes for the liqueur. Today, only one Hawaiian distillery legally produces Okolehao. Any other oke available is made illegally and can be considered Hawaiian “moonshine.”
The ti plant, or Cordyline fruticosa, is called “ki” by Hawaiians. This plant was imported to the Islands with the ancient Polynesians who came to settle the area. Cordyline fruticosa has been used for practical purposes. For example, Hawaiians have used part of the ki plant to treat shortness of breath or asthma and have used parts to induce vomiting. Hawaiians also used the leaves of the ti plant to wrap food during cooking, to make footwear, and to make rain capes.
Ancient Polynesians also brought sugarcane, or ko, to the Hawaiian Islands. Sugar was another important ingredient of early Okolehao. Uala, or sweet potatoes, were also used to make okolehao. Polynesians also introduced sweet potatoes to Hawaii.
It is thought by some that Hawaiians brewed low-alcohol beer before first European contact, when the English Captain James Cook (1728-1779) “discovered” Hawaii, or the “Sandwich Islands” in 1778. Captain Cook allegedly lost his life aged 14 February 1779, in a battle with the Hawaiians. Others credit Captain Nathaniel Portloch, who was part of Captain Cook’s first expedition to the Islands, for instructing Hawaiians in how to brew this beer.
Hawaiians would not learn to distill until the 1790s. Escaped Australian convict William Stephenson taught the islanders to distill using iron pots that whalers used to cook blubber. The word “okolehao” means “iron bottom”, perhaps in reference to how the vessels resembled human anatomy.
The recipes for okolehao probably changed over time in part due to the importation of other plants and peoples into the Islands. For example, pineapples are not indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. Even so, pineapples, which were first introduced in 1813, were added to “beer” due to the fruit’s sugar content. Also, rice became part of the blend as the Japanese and Chinese came to live on the islands.
Another reason other ingredients have been added to okolehao may be because the roots of the plants can weigh around 200 pounds (about 91 kg). Ancient Hawaiians used to plant plants on hillsides. It was easier to dig up the plants and roots than it was to dig the plants and roots out of the ground.
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