🥃 Steinhäger

Steinhäger is a German juniper spirit drink with a protected geographical name: it is made only in the municipality of Steinhagen on the southern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest in Westphalia. The alcohol is flavoured only by distillation with Wacholderlutter, a distillate of fermented juniper. The strength is 38% ABV or more, with no colourings or sweeteners.

According to the technical file, the Wacholderlutter is made first: dried berries of Juniperus communis are crushed, covered with about twice their volume of warm water and fermented for at least 8–9 days, usually 14. The first distillation in a special still gives a distillate no stronger than 15% ABV. It is then distilled together with agricultural alcohol or grain distillate, water and a small amount of unfermented berries.

What sets Steinhäger apart from other juniper drinks of EU category 19, where the minimum is 30% ABV, is its higher strength and the ban on simply macerating berries: the aroma comes from distillation alone. Dilution with water, bottling and packing may take place outside Steinhagen, but blending the distillates may only be done there. The traditional container is the long brown stoneware bottle, the “Kruke”, although dark glass is also allowed.

The technical file cites a dissertation of 1924: a drink from juniper was already made in Steinhagen in the 15th century. In the second half of the 19th century 20 distilleries operated there, and in 1959–1969 the industry employed 2,500 people. The mandatory Wacholderlutter and 38% ABV were fixed by the German spirits monopoly law of 8 April 1923; Steinhäger became a protected EU name with the first spirit drinks regulation in 1989.

Why it matters to you. Only a drink from Steinhagen may bear the name “Steinhäger”; the words “original” or “echt” next to it are forbidden as misleading. “Alt” means at least six months of storage. By specification the drink is colourless. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.