Zwack Herbal Liqueur
Description: | Zwack Hungarian Herbal Liqueur Discontinued in USA hard to find in stock!. First produced in 1790. Made with a secret blend of 40 herbs and spices and remains a Zwack family operation. Zwack is rather well-known in the United States and is often compared to Jagermeister, with Zwack often being considered a gentler upgrade from Jagermeister's often notorious reputation. Zwack uses the same base recipe as Unicum, with a few of the ingredients adjusted. Notably, it is slightly sweeter, the bitters are reduced, and the citrus elements are enhanced. It is a wonderful bouquet of herbs and the citrus finish is rememberable. Considered the national booze of Hungary since the late 18th century, Zwack is an herbal liqueur with a strong citrusy taste to it. But rather than hyper-bitter like Fernet or cloying-bitter like Jäger, it's sweet and herbaceous with a bitter finish. In its native Hungary Zwack is almost always served as a shot. But we're having a lot of fun with it over here in cocktail-world, where we'd place it in its own territory between an orange liqueur and an amaro. The story of Zwack is a long one, beginning in 1790 with Dr. Jozsef Zwack and the ailing Emperor of Hungary, Joseph Ii. As with many liqueurs that date back a few centuries, this recipe was Zwack's medicinal remedy for the emperor and it was such a hit with the ruler that he reportedly said, "Dr. Zwack, Das ist ein Unicum!," meaning unique. It soon led to Budapest's first liquor producer, became a popular shot, and was known as the national drink of Hungary. Distilled from over forty herbs, Unicum is one of the oldest herb liqueurs in Europe. The way of production and the secret recipe has remained the same since Unicum was invented in 1790 and after six generations is still in the Zwack family. The majority of the herbs, and spices used in Unicum comes from the Carpathian basin, but ingredients are also imported from Morocco, China, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Americas and Australia. The herbs are measured by hand to this day, while some special ingredients, known as the "heart" of Unicum, are personally weighed out by a family member, currently by Péter Zwack's widow, Anne Marshall Zwack. The 2 ways of extracting flavor/fragrance is maceration and distillation. In the case of Unicum, half the herbs are macerated, the others are distilled. Sometimes the same herb is used in maceration and distillation. During maceration, the herbs are immersed in corn alcohol, a process that gives intensive, rich taste to the drink. Ageing in oak casks confers on Unicum the final complexities in taste and bouquet. Unicum has been aged in oak ever since it was invented in 1790. In a labyrinth of cellars running under the SoroksĂĄri Road distillery Unicum today is aged in 500 oak casks. |
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Price: | $ 79.99 |
Price in original currency: | None |
Available from MaxLiquor.com
Address: |
6029 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 United States |
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First added to 1000 Corks on October 30, 2020.