zwack

For Fall and Cocktails, Try Root Premium Liqueur

Filed under: Spirits

Liqueurs, other than Goldschlager and Amaretto, don't play much with the under-45-set.

But I like to be able to offer my dinner guests a selection of digestifs to go with dessert. And when traveling in Europe, I love to dine at a family-run trattoria in Italy or bistro in France where management offers a knowing patron a quaff of some obscure local or regional liqueur--or even better, one that the proprietor has lovingly created and aged in some aged barrel in his cellar.

It is in this quest that I came across Root Premium Liqueur, a creation of a Pennsylvania company called Art In The Age. The bottle and product information offers that this bittersweet digestiv is derived from 13 herbs, spices, root extracts and other ingredients. Root, at 80-proof and distilled from sugar-cane, reminds me a good deal of another favorite herbal liqueur, the Hungarian Zwack digestiv, which can be found at better wine and liquor stores.

The company describes Root as essentially the alcoholic pre-cursor to well-made root beer. It is a good descriptor. Root is not a sweet elixir. And it ought not be confused with root beer infused vodka. What I think of as root beer is definitely a big part of the flavor profile, but so is anise, orange peel and other ingredients meant to keep Root on the right side of "herbal" and "bitter."

Distribution is still mostly within Pennsylvania, but it can be ordered online at http://www.hitimewine.net/istar.asp?a=6&id=167620!1478 for $32.99.

Tags: Amaretto, digestiv, Goldschlager, root beer, Root liqueur, Zwack

U.S. Gets A Taste Of Zwack

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Are you ready for Zwack? Zwack is a Hungarian liqueur which is now being rolled out in the states courtesy of Diego North America. The liqueur was test marketed in Buffalo, New York and will be distributed in Ohio starting March 1. Zwack is known as Unicum in Hungary and has been made since the 1790s. It contains more than 40 herbs and is aged in oak casks aged for at least six months. It has a dark amber color and smells of herbs and citrus. It can be served as an appertif or a digestif and according to Internet Wines, which is selling it for $34 a bottle, the Hungarians steep prunes in it and serve the prunes with it. I'm guessing it probably tastes like a spicier version of Chartreuse. Anyone out there tasted Zwack yet?

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Tags: hungary, liqueur, spirits, zwack