Kirschwasser (, ; , German for "cherry water") or kirsch is a clear, colorless brandy traditionally made from double distillation of morello cherries, a dark-colored cultivar of the sour cherry. It is now also made from other kinds of cherries. The cherries are fermented completely, including their stones.Lichine, Alexis. ''Alexis Lichine's New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), p. 292. Unlike cherry liqueurs and cherry brandies, kirschwasser is not sweet. It is sometimes distilled from fermented cherry juice.

Serving

Kirschwasser is usually imbibed neat. It is traditionally served cold in a very small glass and is taken as an apéritif. It is an important ingredient in fondue. People in the German-speaking region where it originated usually serve it after dinner, as a digestif. Kirschwasser is used in some cocktails, such as the Ladyfinger, the Florida, and the Rose. High-quality kirschwasser should be served around , warmed by the hands as with brandy.

Origin and production

Because morellos were originally grown in the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and S ...

regions of Germany, kirschwasser is believed to have originated there. Kirschwasser is colourless because it is either not aged in wood or is aged in barrels made of

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

. It may have been aged in paraffin-lined wood barrels or in earthenware vessels.' Rivals in producing high quality "Kirsch" are Switzerland and Elsass (Alsace), the latter even has
kirschwasser route
("Route-du-pays-du-kirsch"), and other quality cherry production german speaking areas like South Tyrolia. In France and in English-speaking countries, clear

fruit brandies In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particul ...

are known as ''

eaux de vie An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 literally " water of life") is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. In English-speaki ...

''. The European Union sets a minimum of 37.5%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) ...

(75 proof) for products of this kind; kirschwasser typically has an alcohol content of 40%–50%

(80–100 proof). About 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cherries go into the making of a 750 ml bottle of kirschwasser.

Chemical composition

Compared with brandy or whisky the characteristic features of kirsch are (''a'') that it contains relatively large quantities of higher alcohols and compound ethers, and (''b'') the presence in this spirit of small quantities of Hydrogen cyanide, partly as such and partly in combination as

benzaldehyde Benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is the simplest aromatic aldehyde and one of the most industrially useful. It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic almond-like odo ...

-cyanhydrin, to which the distinctive flavour of kirsch is largely due.

Food

Kirsch is sometimes used in Swiss fondue and in some cakes,Use of kirsch in a traditional Swiss cake
/ref> such as the . It is also commonly used in the dessert cherries jubilee. It is used in traditional German (

Black Forest gateau Black Forest gâteau or Black Forest cake (American English) is a chocolate sponge cake with a rich cherry filling based on the German dessert (), literally "Black Forest Cherry-torte". Typically, Black Forest gateau consists of several laye ...

) and in other cakes—for example in cake. Kirsch can also be used in the filling of

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civi ...

s. A typical kirsch chocolate consists of no more than one milliliter of kirsch, surrounded by milk or (more usually) dark chocolate with a film of hard sugar between the two parts. The hard sugar acts as an impermeable casing for the liquid content and also compensates for the lack of sweetness that is typical of kirsch. Swiss

chocolatiers A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. Education and training Traditionally, chocolatiers, ...

Lindt & Sprüngli Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, doing business as Lindt, is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company founded in 1845 and known for its chocolate truffles and chocolate bars, among other sweets. It is based in Kilchberg, where its ...

and Camille Bloch, among others, manufacture these kirsch chocolates.

References

External links