Kräuterlikör () (herbal liqueur or spiced liqueur) is a type of liqueur that is flavored with herbs or spices and is traditionally drunk neat or on ice as a digestif, which is very similar to the concept of an Italian amaro. A distinction is made between sweet herbal liqueur, Halbbitter (''half-bitter'') and Bitter (or Kräuterbitter). Herbal bitters are produced all over the world, and many regions in Germany have their own specialties. The history of Kräuterlikör recipes dates back to

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

authors like

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen Benedictines, OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictines, Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mysticism, mystic, visiona ...

. Mixtures of alcohol and bitter substances were used as medicine to increase

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), also known as gall, is a yellow-green/misty green fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is primarily composed of water, is pro ...

and

gastric acid Gastric acid or stomach acid is the acidic component – hydrochloric acid – of gastric juice, produced by parietal cells in the gastric glands of the stomach lining. In humans, the pH is between one and three, much lower than most other a ...

secretion. Nowadays, Kräuterlikör is also served as an ingredient of different

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

s and

long drink A long drink or tall drink is an alcoholic mixed drink with a relatively large volume (>, frequently ). The phrase "long drink" is also sometimes used to refer specifically to the Finnish long drink, also known as a lonkero. A long drink will ha ...

s. Widely sold liqueur brands are

Riga Black Balsam Riga Black Balsam () is a traditional Latvian balsam (drink), balsam often considered to be the national drink of Latvia. According to tradition, only the Head Liquor Master and two of his apprentices know the exact recipe. Nowadays, Riga Black B ...

(

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

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, and the drink contin ...

Killepitsch Killepitsch is a herbal liqueur from Düsseldorf, Germany. It is a blood red colour and is flavoured with fruits, berries, herbs and spices. Its alcohol content is 42% by volume. Killepitsch has been produced by Busch family of Düsseldorf since ...

Kuemmerling Kuemmerling is the brandname of a type of Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur) from Germany, belonging to the group of Halbbitter (semi bitters). This 35% by volume alcohol is a type of bitters. It has been in production since 1963 in Bodenheim, near Ma ...

, Schierker Feuerstein, Schwartzhog,

Wurzelpeter Wurzelpeter is a Kräuterlikör-type liqueur produced in Germany. It is flavoured with a variety of herbs, bark, and roots: its name references the latter (''Wurzel'' in the German language). History Production was started in 1935 in Berlin-Mit ...

, and

Underberg Underberg is a digestif bitter produced at Rheinberg in Germany by Underberg AG. It is made from aromatic herbs from 43 countries that undergo inspections and are formulated based on a secret recipe of the Underberg family, whose members are ...

(Germany),

Gammel Dansk Gammel Dansk is a bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) produced by Arcus-Gruppen in Oslo, Norway, originally developed and produced by Danish Distillers in Denmark. Traditionally it is drunk by Danes at certain festive occasions, often in conn ...

(Denmark), Altvater (Austria),

Becherovka Becherovka (), formerly Karlsbader Becherbitter, is a herbal bitters, often drunk as a digestif. It is produced in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic by the Jan Becher company. The brand is owned by Pernod Ricard. It is made from a secret recipe ba ...

(Czech Republic),

Unicum Unicum () is a Hungarian herbal liqueur or bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif. According to legend the liqueur was created in 1790 and is today produced by Zwack a secret formula of more than forty herbs; the drink is aged in oak cask ...

(Hungary), as well as

Bénédictine Bénédictine () is a herbal liqueur produced in France. It was developed by wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century and is flavored with twenty-seven flowers, berries, herbs, roots, and spices. A drier version, B&B, blending B� ...

and

Chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Common meanings * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (color), a yellow-green color named after the liqueur * Grande Chartreuse, the original Carthusian monastery Other uses * Chartreuse (dish), a ...

(France). In Italy, '' amaro'' ("bitter") liqueurs include

Cynar Cynar () is an Italian bitter apéritif of the '' amaro'' variety. It is made from 13 herbs and plants, predominant among which is the artichoke (''Cynara scolymus''), from which the drink derives its name. Cynar is dark brown and has a bitte ...

and Ramazzotti.

References

German distilled drinks Herbal liqueurs {{Distilled-beverage-stub

See also

References