Mentzendorff Kummel Liqueur | 50 cl

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Of its characteristics, the 1955 UKBG Guide to Drinks describes kummel as, " One of the most popular of all Liqueurs with definite digestive properties. It has been made in Holland since 1595, but Kummel from Riga, and Gilka Kummel from Berlin, used to be even more universally popular than the Dutch Kummel. Kummel has in its basis some highly distilled or almost neutral spirit, sometimes distilled from grain, sometimes from potatoes rarely if ever from wine. It is flavoured with caraway seeds and cumin, to which it owes its digestive qualities." Since I don’t have a still, I started looking for kummel recipes online that use maceration (soaking botanicals in alcohol) instead. While Google came trough and gave me some results, none of the online recipes were exactly what I was looking for. However, I came across a note about an old French distillers recipe book that included kummel. There was no mention of a title or author so it took awhile to locate but eventually I found the source: Culture de la Vigne: Traitement Pratique des Vins: Vinification - Distillation by Raimond Boireau (1876). The book includes five recipes for kummel (pp 451-453): One with just caraway, one with caraway essence, and three that use caraway with a small amount of other spices. Based on these recipes I decided to make one bottle (750ml) of about 40% ABV kummel that was 30 parts caraway, 2 parts coriander and 1 part fennel. Recipe for EZ Homemade Kummel In the mid-19th Century, kümmel was the rival of gin. Being made with caraway rather than juniper, it had one main advantage: caraway has a calmative effect, reducing flatulence and the bloated feeling experienced after a heavy meal. By 1850, [3] this "medicinal" benefit helped Ludwig Mentzendorff create a healthy business importing kümmel to Britain. We say: Not so far removed from an Aviation. Depending on your grapefruit juice, this particular Weekly Special may be very slightly on the sweet side but it's fantastically aromatic and characterful. If you find too sweet, then slightly up the grapefruit juice. Later, in William Schmidt's 1892 The Flowing Bowl: When and What to Drink, a recipe for kümmel appeared: "Fill three quarts of cognac or kirschwasser, six ounces of broken caraway, and two-fifths of an ounce of star anise into a glass bottle, close it with a bladder, and place it in a pot partly filled with cold water; now heat this, and let boil for half an hour; take the pot from the fire, and let the bottle get cool in the water, then sweeten the liquor with two pounds of refined sugar; filter, bottle and cork well."

Although kummel's origins are thought to be Dutch, Russia is now the largest producer and consumer of kummel. It also remains popular in Germany, particularly Berlin. History of kummel Either way, with speculation rife about the end of production of Wolfschmidt, the largest and most recognisable Kummel brand on the bar shelves across the U.K. what can we learn and what does this mean for future generations of golfers? We say: If you like Aviation's then this caraway influenced sour may appeal. It's powerfully flavoured so also consider serving in an old-fashioned over ice to allow dilution to tame the flavours.excludes Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands & Islands, and the Isles of Wight, Man and Scilly - please see below) Wolfschmidt Kummel dates to 1847 when it was first produced in the Latvian capital, Riga. Made to a historical Danish recipe (nowadays in England), it is branded as a ‘double kummel’, indicating a higher proportion of botanicals. The brand leader in the UK (and among the many golf and gentleman’s clubs), this is seen as the benchmark for kummel. Comment: An interesting contrast between nose and palate, the latter being where it really comes alive. The length is impressive – I can see why this is the choice of clubs around the country. Combier Doppelt Kummel Extra. 38%. Comment: Very caraway-forward, but with well-balanced spice and sweetness. Wolfschmidt Doppelt Kummel. 39%.

Some historians [ which?] state that Lucas Bols (1652-1719) first distilled kümmel liqueur in the Netherlands in 1675. [1] [ bettersourceneeded] It was then taken [ by whom?] to Germany and to Russia; the former is now the principal producer and consumer of kümmel. We say: Medium-dry, herbal, fruity, refreshing and delightfully different. Best served as an aperitivo. Place a small bowl on your kitchen scale and weigh out 25 grams of caraway. Dump the caraway into the alcohol and repeat with the coriander and fennel.Kummel is a herbal liqueur flavoured with caraway seeds, cumin, fennel, orris and other herbs. The origins of this liqueur's name lie in the generic names for the key spices with which it is flavoured. In German, caraway seed is called Kümmel while cumin is Kreuzkümmel. Fill the bottle of infused spirit with about 440 ml of your premade simple syrup, close the bottle and let rest for 1 day in your refrigerator. Comment: Considering this comes from the same distillery as the Mentzendorff, it’s a completely different animal, reminding me more of the German style. Kummel is a caraway-flavoured liqueur – the UK uses the Dutch spelling without an umlaut (it’s kümmel in Germany); the word simply means ‘caraway’. Production methods vary slightly by brand – using Mentzendorff as an example, alcohol made from sugar beet is double-distilled in a pot still with caraway seeds. After the second distillation, sugar is added and the mixture is watered down to 38% abv. It is then left to rest for two months in stainless-steel vats before being bottled. Kummel is therefore similar to taffel Akvavit, except that the latter is aged in oak casks.

If you live in an area where 190 Everclear is not available you can also use 400 ml of 151 Everclear (75.5% ABV), or 600 ml of 100 proof vodka (50% ABV) with the same amount of spices. The maceration won’t be as intense and you will not need as much simple syrup to bring it down to proof. Inspired by the traditional toast drink of a British Army Officer’s Mess, Port (a fortified Red wine) is also a firm favourite with traditional golf clubs, either in a hip flask on the course or in the bar to help warm up after a cold Winter round. Port – providing fortitude to golfers and soldiers for centuries Gunner For golfers, Kummel evokes a sense of nostalgia, a decorative compliment to the familiar scene we all love about Golf. Sitting out on the terrace while the sun sets, with the dappled light transforming the links into a watercolour of rumpled fairways and long shadows whilst you sit there sharing a constant series of well-worn stories. That’s the real essence of golf clubs in Britain – where camaraderie trumps playing-ability. Allasch is a variety of Kümmel; it is also a caraway liqueur of around 40% ABV, usually flavoured with bitter almonds, anise, angelica root and orange peel.E A Simmons considers kummel in 1874's The American Bar-Tender as, "the favorite liqueur of Russia; the best is made at Weissenchein, in Esthonia." This year we have spent a great deal of time studying the early history of the game. When you think about the rules of golf, how hole sizes, or indeed, the number of holes on the links was determined in those early days, it is only fair to assume that those same pioneering early golf clubs who set those trends might have adopted Kummel as a post lunch tipple and as such, accidentally, blazed another trail of their own. After 3 day filter the spices from the alcohol and pour the infused spirit into a clean 750 ml bottle that has a cap or closure. You can filter the spices with a simple mesh strainer or a coffee filter. Since I have a V60 for making coffee at home I use that. If you use a paper or cloth filter, remember to wet it before hand, or the filter will soak up you alcohol. Kummel, also spelled Kümmel, is a botanical liqueur flavored primarily by distilling caraway and then sweetened. But, as it turns out, you do not need a still to make a fairly simple and delicious version of kummel at home.

A charming and evocative scene of drinking kümmel occurs in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's television miniseries, "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1980), where the character Franz Biberkopf speaks in the voices of glasses of kümmel and three beers in a philosophical dialogue as he evaluates the taste and downs each drink in turn.

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The leading brand is made by Mentzendorff. Ludwig Mentzendorff, the company’s founder, was originally Prussian and the kummel came from Riga. He became naturalised in Britain in 1860 and nowadays, the liqueur is distilled in France to the old recipe. The company still exists, though their main business is now importing wine – they’ve been sole British agent for Bollinger since 1858. Kummel lingers on as an obscure speciality except, oddly, at golf clubs. It is as much part of the culture as plus fours, personalised number plates and rightwing politics. It is known as “putting mixture” and served just before going out on the course to relax golfers. Remote Areas - Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands & Islands, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man and The Scilly Isles Delivery Service There are two main brands seen in the UK’s golf clubs – Mentzendorff and Wolfschmidt, and I took the opportunity to compare them, along with an expression from Combier, which is made in the same distillery as Mentzendorff’s. Mentzendorff Kummel. 38%. Once the spices and alcohol are in the same container, seal it up, give it a shake and let sit for 3 days out of direct sunlight. The alcohol will extract flavors and some color out of the spices, and if you want to give it a shake once a day, go for it. In The Whistler's South Pole Swizzle, kümmel's savoriness is a welcome, balancing addition to a tiki trio of passion fruit syrup, citrus and bitters. More Recipes →