What is kirsch?

Kirsch traditionally comes from a belt that runs from central Switzerland and the cantons of Aargau, Solothurn and Basel to the Schwarzwald, and across the Rhine to Alsace.

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails names the Rigi in central Switzerland and the northern cantons as the core area, with the Schwarzwald in southern Germany and Alsace on the French side of the Rhine. It is a region with many cherry orchards and a distilling tradition that began at farm level.

With kirsch the stones go along: The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails describes kirsch as an eau-de-vie distilled from cherries and their stones.

The fruit is fermented and then distilled to less than 86 percent. Because nothing may be added and flavouring is prohibited in category 9, everything you smell comes from the cherry and from the fermentation. For stone fruit, the European regulation sets an additional limit on substances that can arise when the stones are distilled along.

Kirsch traditionally does not mature on oak but in stainless steel tanks or glass demijohns, so that the drink stays clear.

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails describes a rest of three to four years in steel or glass. Those materials give off no colour and no wood note. Some distillers nowadays also work with wooden casks; you can tell by the colour of the spirit. A clear kirsch therefore says nothing about how long the distillate has rested.

Kirsch belongs with cheese fondue and Black Forest cake, where it is used both as an ingredient in the dish and in the glass beside it.

Omdat kirsch ongezoet is, verschuift hij de suikerbalans van een gerecht niet. Dat is het praktische verschil met een kersenlikeur, die minstens 100 gram suiker per liter meebrengt. Bij fondue geldt hetzelfde: het distillaat brengt vruchtsmaak zonder het gerecht zoeter te maken. Kookt u voor kinderen, laat de kirsch dan weg; NIX18 geldt ook voor gerechten waarin de alcohol niet volledig verdampt.

Kirsch is unsweetened cherry distillate of at least 37.5 percent, while a cherry liqueur contains at least 100 grams of sugar per litre and at least 15 percent alcohol.

Both are listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, but in different categories: kirsch in category 9, liqueur in category 33. In a liqueur the alcohol may come from a source other than the cherry, and flavourings and colourings may be used. With kirsch neither is allowed. On the label you can tell by the legal name.