''Kirschwasser'' (, , ; German for 'cherry water'), or just ''Kirsch'' (; the term used in Switzerland and France, less so in Germany), is a clear, colourless

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

from Germany, Switzerland, and France, traditionally made from double distillation of

morello cherries Morello is the most widely planted cultivar group of sour cherry (''Prunus cerasus'' subsp. ''acida'') in Central Europe. It is a late-ripening cherry with high yields. It also gives its name to a group of varieties of the subspecies ''acida'': t ...

. It is now also made from other kinds of cherries. The cherry stones are included in the fermentation process, not removed beforehand.Lichine, Alexis. ''Alexis Lichine's New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), p. 292. Unlike cherry

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

s and cherry brandies, ''Kirschwasser'' is not sweet. It is sometimes distilled from fermented

cherry juice Cherry juice is a fruit juice consisting of the juice of cherries. It is consumed as a beverage and used as an ingredient in various foods, processed foods and beverages. It is also marketed as a health supplement. It is produced by hot- or cold ...

Serving

''Kirschwasser'' is usually drunk

neat Neat may refer to: * Neat (bartending), a single, unmixed liquor served in a rocks glass * Neat, an old term for horned oxen * Neat Records, a British record label * Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT), a genetic algorithm (GA) for t ...

. It is traditionally served cold in a very small glass and is taken as an apéritif. It is an important ingredient in

fondue Fondue ( , , , ; ) is a Swiss dish of melted cheese and wine served in a communal pot ( or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread and sometimes vegetables or other foods into the c ...

. People in the German-speaking region where it originated usually serve it after dinner, as a digestif. ''Kirschwasser'' is used in some

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

s, such as the Ladyfinger, the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and the

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

. High-quality ''kirschwasser'' should be served around , warmed by the hands as with

Origin and production

Because morellos were originally grown in the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

regions of Germany, ''kirschwasser'' is believed to have originated there. ''Kirschwasser'' is colourless because it is either not aged in wood or was aged in barrels made of

ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...

. It may have been aged in paraffin-lined wood barrels or earthenware vessels. Rivals in producing high quality "''Kirsch''" is Switzerland and

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

; the latter even has a ''kirschwasser'' route, and other quality cherry-production, German-speaking areas like South Tyrolia. In France and English-speaking countries, clear

fruit brandies Fruit brandy (or fruit spirit) is a distilled beverage produced from mash, juice, wine or residues of edible fruits. The term covers a broad class of spirits produced across the world, and typically excludes beverages made from grapes, which are ...

are known as ''

eau de vie An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 ) is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. In English-speaking countries, ''eau de vie ...

''. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

sets a minimum of 37.5%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

(75 proof) for products of this kind; ''kirschwasser'' typically has an alcohol content of 40%–50% ABV (80–100 proof). About 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cherries go into the making of a 750 ml bottle of ''kirschwasser''. One French variety, ''Kirsch de Fougerolles','' and two Swiss varieties,

Zuger Kirsch Zuger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Beat Züger (1961–2023), Swiss chess master * Joe Zuger (born 1940), American and Canadian football player See also * Zuger Kantonalbank, bank based in Switzerland *Zuger Kirschtorte ...

and

Rigi Kirsch The Rigi (or ''Mount Rigi''; also known as ''Queen of the Mountains'') is a mountain massif of the Alps, located in Central Switzerland. The whole massif is almost entirely surrounded by the water of three different bodies of water: Lake Lucerne ...

, have been certified as ''

appellation d'origine protégée The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

'' (AOP).

Chemical composition

Compared with brandy or whisky, the characteristic features of ''kirsch'' are that it contains relatively large quantities of higher alcohols and compound ethers, and the presence in this spirit of small quantities of

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

, partly as such and partly in combination as

benzaldehyde Benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is among the simplest aromatic aldehydes and one of the most industrially useful. It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic almond-li ...

-cyanohydrin, to which the distinctive flavour of kirsch is largely due.

Food

''Kirsch'' is used in some cakes, notably traditional German (

Black Forest gateau Black Forest gateau, ( , ) or Black Forest cake, is a layer cake made out of cocoa powder, Sour Cherry, cherries, ''Kirsch'', and whipped cream, with dark chocolate as a decoration. The origins of the cake and its name are disputed. However, th ...

), and . It is also sometimes used in Swiss fondue and the dessert,

cherries jubilee Cherries jubilee is a dessert dish made with cherries and liqueur (typically kirschwasser), which are flambéed tableside, and commonly served as a sauce over vanilla ice cream. The recipe is generally credited to Auguste Escoffier, who prepare ...

. Kirsch can also be used as a filling of

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

s. A typical kirsch chocolate consists of no more than one

milliliter The litre (Commonwealth English, Commonwealth spelling) or liter (American English, American spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric units, metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic c ...

of kirsch, surrounded by milk or (more usually) dark chocolate with a film of hard sugar between the two parts, which acts as an impermeable casing for the liquid content and compensates for the lack of sweetness typical of ''kirsch''. Manufacturers include Swiss

chocolatiers A chocolatier ( ; ; ) is a person or company that makes and sells chocolate confections. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other raw ingredients. Chocolatiers work artisanally with pre- ...

Lindt & Sprüngli Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, doing business as Lindt, is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company founded in 1845 and known for its chocolate truffles and chocolate bars, among other sweets. It is based in Kilchberg, Zürich, K ...

and Camille Bloch.

References

External links

{{Authority control Cherry liqueurs and spirits Fruit brandies German distilled drinks Culinary Heritage of Switzerland Black Forest