Wurzelpeter is a

Kräuterlikör Kräuterlikör (herbal liqueur or spiced liqueur, also called "half-bitters") is a type of liqueur that is flavored with herbs or spices and traditionally drunk neat as a digestif, very close to the concept of an italian '' amaro''. The history ...

-type

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 ...

produced in Germany. It is flavoured with a variety of herbs, bark, and roots: its name references the latter (''Wurzel'' in the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

History

Production was started in 1935 in Berlin-Mitte by Paul Pöschke Thurer, A
Interview: DIE MACHER VON WURZELPETER IM GESPRÄCH
''fizz.de'', 22 Jun 2017 and Walter Heyer. The recipe was claimed to be documented as far back as 1875. Kohler and Birnstiel (2002) ''Historische Gasthöfe in Berlin und Brandenburg'', Bebra Verlag, p.154 Pöschke, a cycling enthusiast, organised sponsorship of cycling events by the company.Ronald Huster: ''Statt Wurzelpeter die erste Ostzonenrundfahrt 1949''; aus Jutta Braun, Hans Joachim Teichler: ''Sportstadt Berlin im Kalten Krieg''. Prestigekämpfe und Systemwettstreit, Christoph Links Verlag, 2016, S. 288 In 1949 Heyer resigned, but the company was leased by Max Finke and continued in operation. Pöschkewerbung

From 1961, when Pöschke departed for West Germany, production of Wurzelpeter was taken over by the state enterprise VEB Bärensiegel Berlin in Berlin-Adlershof. This company had its administrative headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg, on the Josef-Orlopp-Straße, where there was also a production branch. Wurzelpeter gradually gained some status as a cult drink, and was considered to be the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

counterpart of

Jägermeister ( , ; stylized Jägermeiſter) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation ...

.WAS IST … eigentlich WurzelPeter
in ''Berliner Kurier'', 7 April 2010, accessed 20 Jun 2018 With limited production, it had a reputation in the GDR as ''Bückware'', scarce goods available 'under the counter' through bartering or to favoured customers. VEB Bärensiegel Berlin became Berliner Bärensiegel GmbH after the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

. In 1990 the company was acquired by

Franz Wilhelm Langguth Erben Franz Wilhelm Langguth Erben GmbH & Co. KG is a German winery headquartered in Traben-Trarbach. With annual production of about 50 million bottles and sales of about €108 million, Langguth is among the largest wine producers in the country. ...

, a winery with its headquarters in

Traben-Trarbach Traben-Trarbach on the Middle Moselle is a town in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and a state-recognized climatic spa (''Luftkurort''). The city lies in the ...

, a municipality in the district

Bernkastel-Wittlich Bernkastel-Wittlich (German: ''Landkreis Bernkastel-Wittlich'') is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarbur ...

. Berliner Bärensiegel GmbH continued to produce and bottle the herbal liqueur in

Berlin-Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the homonymous borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg. Until 2001 it was an autonomous district with the localities of Fennpfuhl, Rummelsburg, Friedrichsfelde and Karlshorst. History The hi ...

. Despite international competition, former East Germans stayed loyal to the brand.Hochprozentige Ostalgie
''Lebensmittel Praxis'', 12 Mar 2010 In 2017 Wurzelpeter's recipe was altered to a formulation said to be closer to that of 1935, along with an increase in strength from 30% to 40%

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) o ...

and a repositioning of the brand to emphasise its Berlin heritage.Zuruck zu den Wurzeln
''fizz.de'', 1 May 2017 The labelling continues to emphasise the character, described as a

kobold A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ger ...

, traditionally featured in the brand's advertising.

References

External link

* {{Official website, http://www.wurzelpeterworld.com/ German liqueurs Ostalgie