🥃 Magenbitter

Magenbitter, literally "stomach bitter", is a German-language name for herbal spirit drinks with a bitter taste. It is not a legal category. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 defines a bitter-tasting spirit drink (bitter) as a spirit drink with a predominantly bitter taste and at least 15% ABV, and a liqueur as a sweetened drink of at least 15% ABV with, as a rule, at least 100 g of sweetening products per litre. The word "bitter" may also be used for bitter-tasting liqueurs, so the category on the label matters more than the name.

Austrian protected names. The Austrian Food Code (Codex, chapter B 23, spirits) describes two geographical indications. Steinfelder Magenbitter is a liqueur of at least 25% ABV and at least 100 g/l of sugar, from an area within 60 km of the Steinfeld in Graz. Its blend must include chamomile, angelica root, cloves, ginger, juniper, creeping thistle and hops, and the extracts are made by maceration, in some cases with distillation. It was entered as a geographical indication when Austria joined the EU in 1994. Mariazeller Magenlikör is at least 40% ABV and is made in a semi-sweet version (at least 115 g/l of sugar) and a classic bitter version (at least 100 g/l).

German example. Underberg of Rheinberg says on its website that herbs from 43 countries are extracted at 44% ABV, that the drink is sold only in 20 ml portion bottles, introduced in 1949, and that it may use the geographical indication "Rheinberger Kräuter".

Why this matters to you. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, health claims are not allowed on drinks above 1.2% vol., so the word "stomach" is a name, not a remedy. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.