Cherry liqueur

Cherry liqueur falls under the liqueur category of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, the European regulation for spirit drinks. A liqueur there is a sweetened spirit drink, made with ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, a distillate of agricultural origin or another spirit drink, to which flavourings, agricultural products or foodstuffs have been added. For cherry liqueur these are cherries or cherry juice.

The minimum alcohol content of a liqueur is 15 percent by volume. The minimum sugar content, expressed as invert sugar, is generally 100 grams per litre. For cherry and morello cherry liqueur whose alcohol consists solely of cherry brandy, the limit is lower: 70 grams per litre.

Cherry brandy is a historic name that the regulation expressly permits for liqueurs made in the European Union. The same rule applies to prune brandy, orange brandy and apricot brandy. Despite the word brandy, such a bottle is therefore a liqueur, and not a brandy.

The label is subject to fixed requirements. The compound name appears on one line in the same lettering and colour, with the word liqueur directly beside it, in letters that are no smaller. If the alcohol does not come from the named drink, the label states where the alcohol does come from. Bols Cherry Brandy is a well-known example: according to the producer, this 24 percent liqueur contains cherry juice, crushed cherry stones and a dash of brandy.

Kirsch, also called kirschwasser, is not a liqueur but a fruit brandy. The regulation reserves the name kirsch for brandy from sweet cherries (Prunus avium). It is made exclusively by fermenting fresh cherries and then distilling, with or without the stone.

No alcohol may be added to kirsch and the drink may not be flavoured. The minimum alcohol content is 37.5 percent vol. Sweetening is only allowed to round off the taste, up to at most 18 grams per litre. Cherry liqueur, by contrast, must be sweetened, with at least 70 or 100 grams per litre. Anyone looking for a bottle of kirsch is therefore looking for a different drink than cherry liqueur, even though both have the cherry as their base.

The bottles in the shop come from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland and France. Denmark and Poland each have a tradition of their own. In Copenhagen, Peter F. Heering, a young colonial goods trader in the harbor, began making cherry liqueur in 1818, according to the producer. Heering still says it works to the old family recipe, with real cherries and botanicals.

In Poland, wiśniówka is a traditional drink made from sour cherries. The cherries are steeped in alcohol, such as vodka or neutral alcohol. Homemade versions need only cherries, sugar and alcohol. Factory-made variants such as Soplica Wiśniowa carry the cherry in the name.

In the shop you will find cherry liqueurs from Bols, De Kuyper, Heering, Berentzen, Kirsberry, Dark Mark, Susser and Zuidam, alongside the Battumse Chocolade-kerslikeur, Mom's Homemade Cherrycello and the Polish Soplica Wiśniowa. Bols Cherry Brandy and Heering Cherry Liqueur stand side by side, so the difference between Dutch and Danish cherry liqueur is easy to see. Berentzen offers the Wildkirsch and the Cherry Banana Cream.

If you are looking for a cherry brandy rather than a liqueur, De Kuyper Kirsch, Pollen kersen brandewijn and Specht Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser are on the same shelf. Torn between a liqueur and a kirsch, or looking for a cherry liqueur for a cocktail? Call the shop or drop by at the Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.