🥃 Ettaler Klosterlikör
Herbal liqueur of the Benedictine Ettal Abbey in Upper Bavaria: EU protected name; yellow (at least 40% ABV), green (at least 42%) and bilberry (at least 25%); over 30 herbs, aged in oak.
Ettaler Klosterlikör is a liqueur of the Benedictine Ettal Abbey in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. The name is protected in the EU in the liqueur category and covers three varieties: yellow (Gelb), green (Grün) and bilberry (Heidelbeer). Today it is made only in the abbey's own distillery, and most of the herbs come from the municipality of Ettal itself.
The varieties. The yellow has at least 40% ABV and 265 g/l of sugar; its character comes from saffron, orange blossom, galangal, anise and ginger, as well as honey from the monastery's apiary. The green has at least 42% ABV and 170 g/l of sugar, with juniper, caraway, lemon zest, gentian root and peppermint. The bilberry, at least 25% ABV, appeared in 1965.
How it is made. More than 30 herbs and spices, a large part of them from the monastery garden or the Ammergau Alps, are steeped in agricultural-origin spirit and distilled. The distillate is sweetened, herbal infusion is added, the mixture is diluted with water and honey, and it is aged for at least 6 months in oak casks. No colourings or artificial flavourings are added.
History. The recipes were compiled by the monastery pharmacy in the 16th century. After the secularisation of 1803, the pharmacist family Bischl received the cabinet with the recipe, and in the second half of the 19th century it revived the liqueur under the name “AltEttaler Abt-Liqueur”. After the monastery was re-established in 1900 the recipe returned to the monks, and the baroque bottle was created around 1911.
Why this matters to you. Despite its herbs and monastic origin, this is not a medicine but a strong, sweet drink. Catalogues sometimes list it among bitters, but under EU law it is a liqueur. WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| EU category | liqueur (category 33 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787); PGI-DE-02060 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | technical dossier PGI-DE-02060 (BMEL, 2017); protected in the EU under Regulation (EEC) 1576/89 |
| Raw material | agricultural-origin spirit, more than 30 herbs and spices, saffron, honey, sugar; Heidelbeer — bilberry juice concentrate |
| Distillation method | herbal macerate in spirit is distilled, then infusion is added |
| Minimum maturation | Gelb and Grün — at least 6 months in oak casks |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | Gelb — from 40%, Grün — from 42%, Heidelbeer — from 25% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Ettaler Klosterlikör → kind of → 🍸 Liqueurs → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Anise, 🥃 Caraway
- What it contains
- 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🍸 Liqueurs
- Related to
- 🌍 Central Europe
- Similar and different
- 🍸 Bitter (bitter-tasting spirit drink), 🥃 Chiemseer Klosterlikör, 🥃 Benediktbeurer Klosterlikör, 🥃 Bayerischer Kräuterlikör, 🥃 Bénédictine
Frequently asked questions
Is Ettaler Klosterlikör a bitter?
No. It is registered in the EU in the liqueur category and contains between 170 and 265 g/l of sugar.
How does the yellow variety differ from the green?
Yellow is at least 40% ABV, 265 g/l of sugar, with saffron and honey; green is at least 42% ABV, 170 g/l of sugar, with juniper, caraway and peppermint.
Where is Ettaler Klosterlikör made?
In the municipality of Ettal (district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria), at the Benedictine abbey's distillery.
How many herbs does it contain?
For the yellow and green varieties, more than 30 herbs and spices.
Which other Bavarian monastery liqueurs have a protected name?
Chiemseer Klosterlikör and Benediktbeurer Klosterlikör.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🌍 Central Europe — Curd cheese (quark), cheeses and butter in peasant cooking.
- 🍸 Bitter (bitter-tasting spirit drink) — Spirit drink with a predominantly bitter taste: flavoured alcohol or distillate from 15% vol.; EU category 30.
- 🥃 Bénédictine — French herbal liqueur from Normandy: 27 plants and spices, 40% ABV; the recipe was revived in 1863 by the wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand.
Similar
🥃 Benediktbeurer Klosterlikör · 🥃 Cantueso Alicantino · 🥃 Bayerischer Blutwurz · 🥃 Bayerischer Kräuterlikör · 🥃 Chiemseer Klosterlikör · 🥃 Genepì del Piemonte
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- eAmbrosia (EU GI register): technical file 'Ettaler Klosterlikör' PGI-DE-02060, cat. 32 liqueur (submitted 08.12.2017): municipality of Ettal, Garmisch-Partenkirchen; Gelb ≥ 40 %, 265 g/l sugar; Grün ≥ 42 %, 170 g/l; Heidelbeer ≥ 25 %, since 1965; > 30 herbs; ≥ 6 months in oak; recipes from the 16th century, secularisation 1803, Byschl pharmacy, abbey re-established 1900, baroque bottle c. 1911
- Kloster Ettal: Liqueur manufactory — Ettaler Klosterliqueur Gelb and Grün, maceration, gentle distillation, at least six months in oak barrels, own bottling plant
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III as at 31.01.2020 (legislation.gov.uk): Germany, 32. Liqueur — Chiemseer, Ettaler, Benediktbeurer Klosterlikör
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I as adopted (legislation.gov.uk): cat. 33 liqueur (min. 15 %; sugar from 100 g/l in general)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)