Ratzeputz () is a

schnaps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to n ...

, a type of spirit popular in Germany, which contains extracts and distillates of root

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

. The fresh ginger it contains is said to be beneficial to the stomach. Ratzeputz today (2006) only contains 58%

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

; whereas higher proportions of alcohol used to be common. The ingredients, which are found by most consumers to be sharp, are intended to leave a long aftertaste in the mouth and throat. Ratzeputz was first created in 1877 by Peter Weidmann, a

distiller Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

. In the town, the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (, ) is a large area of heath (habitat), heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen and is ...

region and its surrounding area, Ratzeputz is a well-known, high-alcohol spirit-based speciality. Its strong but delicate ginger flavour has helped it gain considerable international attention as well. Originally bottled by C.W. Baland & Langebartels in

, it is now made under licence by Schwarze and Schlichte in

Oelde Oelde () is a town in the district of Warendorf (district), Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near Beckum, Germany, Beckum. Geography Division of the town Oelde consists of 5 districts: * Oelde * Stromberg * Lette * S ...

. Until several years ago Ratzeputz was distilled in the centre of Celle. The reason why the strong smell in the town at weekends has gone is due to the transfer of its production to an industrial estate in

Westercelle Westercelle is a suburb of the district town of Celle in Lower Saxony, Germany, that lies 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) south of the town centre on the river Fuhse. History The village derives its name from its location west of the original settleme ...

. The sales outlet immediately next to the distillery (between ''Neuer Straße'' and ''Zöllnerstraße'') in the town centre has also been closed and the number of different bottle sizes has been reduced. The original products are still easy to obtain, however, at least in Celle. A mix of Ratzeputz with the herb-based spirit Heidegeist under the name ''108er'' is especially common in the Lüneburg Heath, its name being derived by adding their alcohol contents of 58% and 50% together.Recipe for 108er
at frag-mutti.de There are several bars in Germany which specialize in serving Ratzeputz, the most notable of which is 'Ratzeputz Bar' on Weserstrasse,

Neukölln Neukölln (), officially abbreviated Neuk, is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located south-east of Berlin's center and stretches from the inner city southward to the border with Brandenburg, encompassing the eponymous quarter of Neu ...

, Berlin.

References

External links

Ratzeputz official homepage
German liqueurs Lüneburg Heath Bitters {{Germany-cuisine-stub