Stroh Austria GmbH is an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n manufacturer of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

, especially spiced rums and high-proof rums used in warm drinks and cooking. The Stroh Rum

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...

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 and brandy manufacturing in

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

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 Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

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 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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Today Austrian rum is a true rum made from sugarcane by-products according to

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

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 The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus is a collection of standards, guidelines and product descriptions for a variety of foods. It was originally established by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in 1891 and is still in use today. The Codex Alimentarius Aus ...

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 and corresponding to 76, 80, 108, 120 and 160 proof (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 Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, and

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: ...

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 Austrian cuisine () is a style of cuisine native to Austria and composed of influences from Central Europe and throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian cuisine is most often associated with Viennese cuisine, but there are signific ...

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 Compote or compôte (French for ''mixture'') is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...

, and rum prune cake. It is also an ingredient in

Bananas Foster Bananas Foster is a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur. The butter, sugar and bananas are cooked, and then alcohol is added and ignited. The bananas ...

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