Stroh Austria GmbH is an Austrian manufacturer of rum, especially spiced rums and high-proof rums used in warm drinks and cooking. The Stroh Rum brand is one of the best-known spirits from Austria. The name is widely used as a generic synonym for spirits with a similarly high alcohol content in Germanic speaking regions. The company is privately held by Austrian owners. Stroh - Austrian Rum - IMG 3452

History

With roots starting in 1832, Stroh began large scale

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

and

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

manufacturing in Klagenfurt in 1857. The company was named after its founder, Boštijan Stroh, who started the beginnings of the small business in St. Paul (Carinthian Lavanttal). His widow, Maria Stroh, continued the business with production facilities at Karfreitstrasse 18 in Klagenfurt. Located in the land-locked Austria-Hungary region, the company had no direct access to colonies in tropical regions with rum or easy access to rum importation. To make a rum-like product, the production at the time replaced the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

molasses aroma with a mixture of

flavorant A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of the gust ...

s and coloring added to alcohol from sugar beets, which came to be known as ''Inländer-Rum'' ("domestic rum"). This historic substitute created a distinctive product that smelled primarily of butterscotch and vanilla. It became a regional specialty and favorite, later being awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Today Austrian rum is a true rum made from sugarcane by-products according to European Community regulations, while the typical Inländer flavor is provided by traditional essences. A product designation for Inländer rum is not standardised by the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus.

Product line

The company is best known for its flagship product, ''Stroh Rum'', and its bottled hunter's punch ''

Jagertee Jagertee (also Jägertee) is an alcoholic punch historically made by mixing "Inländer-Rum" with spiced black tea. It is served warm and is typically consumed during winter in the cold parts of Central Europe. Although Jagertee is easily made at ...

'', which is typically drunk warm and is served at ski resorts. Stroh has also made other packaged liquor products that are mostly available only in Europe, including Stroh Punsch, Stroh Cream, Stroh Fire and Stroh Cola. In the United States Stroh Rum is known for its very high alcohol content, with the version most readily available there being 160 proof and frequently labeled as ''Stroh 160'' (labeled as Stroh 80 in Europe). In Europe it is available in its full five variants: ''Stroh 38'', ''Stroh 40'', ''Stroh 54'', ''Stroh 60'' and ''Stroh 80'' (representing

alcohol by volume 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) o ...

and corresponding to 76, 80, 108, 120 and 160

proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a con ...

(US) respectively). Stroh products are internationally sold and are available in more than 40 countries.Company's history on http://www.stroh.at/en/brand/history/

Product use

Exports to Germany, Scandinavia, and Benelux account for about two-thirds of the company's sales. The overproof rum product versions are seldom drunk neat and are more commonly used in cooking or for mixing in homemade

or other warm punches (including in ''

Feuerzangenbowle ' () () is a traditional German alcoholic drink for which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine. It is often part of a Christmas or New Year's Eve tradition. The name translates literally as ''fire-tongs punch'', “ ...

'', or mixed with hot tea, honey, and butter). Because of its flammability it is used for lighting drinks on fire, such as the Flaming B-52, or in strong cocktails such as the

Von Tiki The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...

. A lower proof product version is packaged and sold in small syrup containers for use in soaking waffles. Stroh is a common household and commercially important ingredient in the making of syrups, cake frostings, pastries, and other desserts in Austrian cuisine due to its sweet flavor and strong butterscotch and vanilla aromatic notes. An example is in preparation of

rumtopf Rumtopf ( da, Romkrukke), which literally means ''rum pot'', is an Austrian, German and Danish dessert of mixed fruit and alcohol traditionally eaten around Christmas. It is also made in northern Italy, especially in the valleys of Trentino, wher ...

, a fruit based compote, and rum prune cake. It is also an ingredient in Bananas Foster variations, although less of the alcohol should be used. The company has licensed the name for the spirit to be used by Walter Heindl GmbH in confectionary products such as ''Stroh Pralinen'' and Stroh flavored chocolate balls.

Product packaging

Stroh rum is packaged in brown glass bottles meant to emulate the hip flasks worn by hunters and others in the countryside during winter. Playing to its historic roots, some products are also packaged in larger jugs employing swing-top rubber stoppers. Other variations include Stroh in syrup containers, mini-bottles, and cans.

References

External links