🥃 Mariazeller Magenlikör
Austrian herbal liqueur from the pilgrimage town of Mariazell in Styria: 33 plants, spirit and plum distillate, at least 40% ABV. It has an EU protected name and has been made since 1883.
Mariazeller Magenlikör is an EU-protected name for an Austrian herbal liqueur from the town of Mariazell in Styria. It is made from extracts of 33 plants in spirit and plum distillate, with added sugar and water. Its strength is at least 40% ABV and its sugar at least 100 g per litre. The catalogue counted it among the bitters, but according to the specification it is a liqueur.
Protected name. The name appears in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 among Austrian liqueurs, next to Steinfelder Magenbitter and Wachauer Marillenlikör, and it is now covered by Regulation (EU) 2019/787. Austria published a new consolidated specification as a standard amendment. The liqueur may be made only in Mariazell, and today a single producer makes it: the firm Arzberger.
Production. The recipe has been passed down orally for five generations. Among the 33 ingredients are herbs, fruits, flowers, seeds and roots, including arnica, fennel, galangal, hyssop and zedoary. They are grouped in threes to fives and macerated in spirit, or in a mix of spirit and plum distillate, for a few hours to a few days. The halbsüß version is green, with softer herbs and sugar from 115 g/l. The klassik version is red-brown, with caramel syrup and a bitter taste.
History. For centuries Mariazell has welcomed pilgrims from the whole former Habsburg monarchy. From 1883 Cajetan Arzberger and his successors have made the liqueur on the town's main square. According to the specification, pilgrims often arrived on foot with upset stomachs, so they bought the liqueur together with local gingerbread for the road. Today it is mainly a souvenir.
Why this matters to you. The word Magen (stomach) in the name is a historical label, not a medical property. This is a sweet liqueur at 40% ABV with a hundred grams of sugar per litre. A protected name guarantees only the place and method of production. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol.
Facts
| EU category | liqueur (cat. 33 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787); protected name |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2019/787; earlier Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008; Austria's consolidated specification |
| Raw material | 33 plants (including arnica, fennel, galangal, hyssop, zedoary), spirit of agricultural origin, plum distillate, sugar |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | from 40% ABV; sugar from 115 g/l (halbsüß) or from 100 g/l (klassik) |
| Year founded | 1883, Cajetan Arzberger, Mariazell |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Mariazeller Magenlikör ← similar ← 🌿 Bitters and bitter spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Maceration
- Made from
- 🥃 Slivovitz (šljivovica)
- What it contains
- 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🍸 Liqueurs
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Bayerischer Kräuterlikör, 🥃 Jägermeister, 🍸 Bitter (bitter-tasting spirit drink), 🥃 Kräuterlikör, 🥃 Kräuterlikör, 🥃 Magenbitter, 🥃 Magenbitter, 🌿 Bitters and bitter spirits
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Mariazeller Magenlikör cures the stomach?
No. The name arose when pilgrims were credited with a calming effect from it, but this is a liqueur of at least 40% ABV. Alcohol irritates the stomach, and the WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol.
How many plants are in Mariazeller Magenlikör?
33 plant ingredients: herbs, fruits, flowers, seeds and roots, including arnica, fennel, galangal, hyssop and zedoary.
How do halbsüß and klassik differ?
Halbsüß is green, with softer herbs and sugar from 115 g/l. Klassik is red-brown, with all the extracts, caramel syrup and a bitter taste, and sugar from 100 g/l.
Where can Mariazeller Magenlikör be made?
Only in the town of Mariazell in Styria, Austria. Today a single producer makes it, Arzberger.
Is it a bitter or a liqueur?
According to the specification and the EU category it is a liqueur. The klassik variant is bitter, but because of its sugar content it does not count as a bitter spirit.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Maceration — Steeping the juice with the skins to extract colour, tannins and aroma.
- 🌿 Bitters and bitter spirits — Bitter spirits: bitters from 15% vol.; gentian is a distillate of gentian root; bitter liqueurs are sweeter.
- 🥃 Slivovitz (šljivovica) — Fruit spirit distilled from fermented plums: in the EU from 37.5% vol., methanol up to 1200 g/hl; Serbian šljivovica on UNESCO's list since 2022.
- 🍸 Bitter (bitter-tasting spirit drink) — Spirit drink with a predominantly bitter taste: flavoured alcohol or distillate from 15% vol.; EU category 30.
Similar
🥃 Chiemseer Klosterlikör · 🥃 Genepì del Piemonte · 🥃 Bayerischer Blutwurz · 🥃 Benediktbeurer Klosterlikör · 🥃 Genepì della Valle d'Aosta · 🥃 Licor de hierbas de Galicia
⚠️ 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
- BAVG (Austria): Produktspezifikation des Mariazeller Magenlikörs, konsolidierte Fassung (Standardänderung nach Art. 24 Abs. 4 VO (EU) 2024/1143): category liqueur; min. 40 % vol.; sugar 'halbsüß' min. 115 g/l, 'klassik' (bitter) min. 100 g/l; produced only in Mariazell (414 km² after 2014 merger); 33 plant materials incl. arnica, fennel, galangal, hyssop, zedoary, macerated in groups of 3–5 in agricultural ethanol or ethanol with plum brandy for hours to days; recipe passed on orally for five generations; produced since 1883 by Cajetan Arzberger on the main square; pilgrims bought it with gingerbread; bottles 1000, 500, 200, 50 ml; sole producer Arzberger
- Steiermark Tourismus: Mariazell stomach liqueur and herbal bitters — Arzberger Likörmanufaktur, Hauptplatz 6, Mariazell; recipe developed by Cajetan Arzberger in 1883; 33 herbs, three elixirs; guided tours
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III as at 31.01.2020 (legislation.gov.uk): 32. Liqueur — Mariazeller Magenlikör (Austria), Steinfelder Magenbitter (Austria), Wachauer Marillenlikör (Austria)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I: cat. 33 liqueur (min. 15 %, sugar from 100 g/l in general); Chapter III — geographical indications
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)