Himbeergeist

Himbeergeist made from wild raspberries in the Black Forest region of Germany

Himbeergeist (lit "raspberry spirit", also known as raspberry spirit obtained by maceration and distillation,[1] eau de vie de framboise[2] or simply framboise[3]) is a geist (a type of eau de vie or Schnapps) made from raspberries. It is produced mainly in Germany and the Alsace region of France.

Rather than distilling a fermented mash of fresh fruit into liquor, like a fruit brandy (Obstler in German), Himbeergeist is made as an infusion.[4] Raspberries have a low sugar content that can only produce a limited amount of alcohol, so Himbeergeist is created by macerating fresh berries in 96% pure neutral spirits.[5][6] The mixture is then steeped for several weeks to draw out the raspberry essence, distilled, diluted with purified water, and bottled at 37.5% ABV or stronger. Producers may add a small amount of sugar to round off the final taste, but under EU law, this cannot exceed 10 grams of invert sugar per litre. Added colours and flavours are also not permitted.[1]

It takes about 17 pounds (7.7 kg) of raspberries to produce one liter of Himbeergeist.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Consolidated text: Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008". 25 May 2021. pp. 49–51.
  2. ^ Anderson, Susan Heller (26 August 1984). "Alsace's Eaux de Vie Pack a Fruity Punch". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Asimov, Eric (15 August 2007). "An Orchard in a Bottle, at 80 Proof". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Regulation (EU) No 110/2008 of 15 January 2008 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89 §17
  5. ^ "Spirituosenlexikon". Die Schnapsbrenner (in German). Archived from the original on 10 April 2008.
  6. ^ "Fachlexikon". hoellberg.de (in German). Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.
  7. ^ Virbila, S. Irene (22 April 1990). "Eau-de-Vie, the Spirit of Alsace". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2021.