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Egg Liqueur Liveact, Ferdinand Zweiger

| Inside World-Spirits

Inside World Spirits © Episode 14 Egg Liqueur Liveact, Ferdinand Zweiger

Can be streamed (in German with English subtitles) in the protected area - directly at iws.tv

Everything revolves around the subject: Egg liqueur, with or without vanilla?

  • Talk partner: Ferdinand Zweiger, ‚The Zweiger’, Austria – with background info & recipe for DIY in real-time
  • Botanical: chilli, Patrick Altermatt, Switzerland
  • Viewer guest: Wolfgang Eder, tourism consultant, Austria
  • IWS.tv host Wolfram Ortner – 20 minutes of exciting and profound presentation

Products/ spirits:

  • Egg liqueur, ‚The Zweiger’, Austria
  • J. A. Baczewski Ovovit, J. A. Baczewski, Austria
  • North Sea Sand, Skiing Club Kampen, Germany

Brand new format, 15-minute episodes, expert information and entertainment on a "spiritual" basis, celebrity and distiller talk, journey through the botanical gardens of the earth, sensory evaluation of the world's best spirits.

Background information about the IWS.tv episode:

Egg Liqueur, with or without Vanilla - but "on the rocks" please!

With egg liqueur most people think of long gone times with a lot of nostalgia and some blood, sweat and tears - and of hand-written recipes from granny's cookbook. Today this "reward drink" is experiencing a renascence: manufactures and industrial producers have "cleaned the dust" from this spirit classic and offer a broad range of imaginative creations.

The offer could be taken from the dessert menu of an upscale gastronomy. Or did the inventive producers inspect the "sweet miles" of supermarkets? The aroma diversity ranges from Manner Schnitte (chocolate wafer), Rum-Coconut by Casali and After Eight via Crème brulee and Pêche Melba to Tiramisu and Apple Strudel.

On the rocks or puristic? Hand to heart: nearly everyone loves liqueurs on the basis of cream or milk - man or woman, young or old, sweet teeth or hardliners.

What does Egg Liqueur contain?

The alcohol basis can vary, e.g. the Belgian producer De Klok Genever uses approx. 40% vol. for an extremely viscous "spoon liqueur" which is filled into delicious praliné chocolates. The higher alcohol content gives the product a longer shelf life and "fuels" the aroma.

In most cases rum or brandy as well as korn schnapps, vodka or ethanol of agricultural origin respectively is added which also serves as a stabiliser of the product. In the industrial segment the liqueur is heated up to 60 degrees Celsius in order to stabilise it and prevent nucleation.

The respective EU regulation prescribes a minimum of 140 grammes of egg yolk, 150 grammes of sugar per litre as well as a minimum of 14% vol. alcohol. The addition of aromas, cream or milk is regulated too (irrelevant for private persons).

Egg yolk is mostly bought as an independent product, in the Styrian company Zweiger however, the whole family is condemned to "compulsory labour" when it comes to the thorough separation of egg white and yolk. The use of vanilla also differs the opinions sharply: Gerry Fischer of the ‚Alt Wiener Schnapsmuseum' (Old Viennese Schnapps Museum) produces his egg liqueur without adding vanilla and regards this as the only authentic one. The high-quality flavour carrier (condensed) milk or cream has to be considered too. The company Horvath even has special milk delivered for their cream liqueurs. But how do they say: many roads lead to Rome ... And thus the classic egg liqueur is for all producers the basis for variants such as nougat, chocolate, poppy seed and many more.

All products, whether produced with natural or nature-identical aromas have a relatively long shelf life, provided they all come from retail shelves and comply with EU provisions. Ideally an open bottle however should be emptied as quickly as possible.

Products/ Spirits & Distilleries

Der Zweiger: Synergy of a strong family

The Zweigers run an honest artisanal business whose top priority is the high quality of the products: “Quality is our philosophy, and we feel committed to it. Innovation and constant quality controls ensure exclusive products of the highest quality.” This ambitious motto has followed the dynamic company into its current third generation. “More than 90 percent of a distillate’s quality is determined by the quality of the fruits. Even brilliant distillers won’t succeed with mediocre fruits. Good distilling is a craft, and a great deal of experience and feeling is required.”

The product range includes the finest brandies, harmonious cream liqueurs, gin, powerful whiskies, as well as frizzante and craft beers. In addition, there is a vineyard area of 15 hectares where Pinot Blanc, Schilcher and Sauvignon Blanc are cultivated. The highly aromatic brandies are created by means of an elaborate distillation method. The most important aspect is the quality of the raw materials, which are carefully selected and processed.

The products can be sampled in Gießenberg near Mooskirchen or at special events (www.zweiger.at), and tours of the company which include regional delicacies can be organised upon advance reservation. The Schnapsothek with its wood and glass interior invites guests to taste the products in a welcoming atmosphere.

The World Class Distillery and Distillery of the Year Silver (BILI) received double gold for Chocolate Cherry and Nougat (Spirit of the Year & World Spirits Award), gold for Egg Liqueur, Pumpkin Seed Liqueur, Coconut Rum, Rose Muscatel, Single Malt, Der Almkräuter (herbs) and Zirbengeist (stone pine spirit), and bronze for Amarena Cherry Fruit Liqueur.

95 WOB-Punkte – Eierlikör 2019 L: 1912019 - Gold
Der Zweiger, Österreich-8562 Mooskirchen, www.zweiger.at
Fragrance: Great variety theme, zabaione associations, creamy vanilla pudding, a lot of stimulating freshness, orange, almost cherry- and plum-like, clear egg basic notes, sponge cake, coconut, nougat, cream, subtle touch of rum ester. Taste: Powerful, indeed elegant, very creamy, inciting and fresh, powerful egg and vanilla composition, masterful interplay of aroma and alcohol, rum-like accents, lime, caramel, white chocolate, somewhat buttery texture, good density and harmonious, long finish. 

Skiclub Kampen: Purism from the North Sea

In 1989, Pius Regli and Jörg Hinck founded the Kampen ski club whilst enjoying an excellent, home-distilled vodka on the island of Sylt. From then on they competed against each other every year in a ski race in Zermatt, and the winner became the club president for the following year. In 2012, Ulrich Graf, a businessman from Dortmund and manager of Skiclub Kampen GmbH, developed the spirits and designed the unique bottle for North Sea, the premium brand name for gin, vodka and vodka-based drinks. The demands are high, the handcrafted alcohol comes from Germany. The basis for all the spirits is the vodka, five-times distilled and filtered extremely slowly through a silver dust filter.

After intensive observation of the market, Ulrich Graf only saw the chance to make their mark amongst the global players and established brands with a unique bottle: “The bottle should be recognisable from 15 to 20 m distance in a club.” The bottle design of a French manufacturer convinced them: it underscores the purity of the content with its purist form – inspired by the clear countryside of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. After six months’ development, an all-over coating was found which felt warm and soft, and from which condensed water rolled off. Every flavour has its own colour which corresponds to the colour of the drink (for example, a bright, strong red for blood orange with vodka), sending out a clear message.

The Master Class Distillery 2019 received gold for North Sea Vodka, North Sea Fire, North Sea Sun, and silver for North Sea Gin, North Sea Water and North Sea Sand.

85 WOB-Punkte – North Sea Sand  L: SCK-1455 - Silver
Skiclub Kampen GmbH, Deutschland-44141 Dortmund, www.skiclub-kampen.de
Fragrance: Typical egg yolk and vanilla concept, most intense egg yolk aromas, very creamy, slightly acidulous, vanilla, caramel. Taste: Image of the fragrance, vanilla pudding with a lot of egg yolk, nougat, white chocolate, delicate sweetness, fairly full-bodied and long, warming finish. 

Altvater Gessler – Specialities with great tradition

At the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, ‘Altvater Gessler’ and ‘J.A. Baczewski’ were well-known brand names, associated with a large variety of high quality alcoholic drinks.

The roots of the company date way back to the 18th century, and the branch, which was founded in Silesia in 1873, gained great importance with the slogan ‘3 words: Altvater – Gessler – Jägerndorf’. It became a purveyor to the court of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and was awarded gold medals at the world exhibitions in 1888 in Melbourne and St. Petersburg, in 1889 in Barcelona and Brussels, in 1900 in Paris, and in 1904 in Vienna. After the collapse of the Empire, individual businesses were founded in the successor states and licences were issued to manufacturers of Gessler products. After the Second World War, most of the businesses in Eastern Europe were nationalised. Only Vienna remained in the possession of the Gessler family and was run for 60 years by Eduard Gessler. Exports were expanded to Australia, Africa and America. In 1980, his son Elek re-established the company under the name ‘Altvater Gessler – J.A. Baczewski GmbH’: which is still a famous name for spirit specialities following old traditions today.

Classified as a First Class Distillery in 2019, there was double gold for J.A. Baczewski Piolunowka, gold for J.A. Baczewski Orzechowka, Gin Monopolowa, Vodka Monopolowa, J.A. Baczewski Ovovit, J.A. Baczewski Suweren and J.A. Baczewski Whisky, silver for J.A. Baczewski Pomeranczowka and J.A. Baczewski Jezynowka, and bronze for J.A. Baczewski Morelowka and J.A. Baczewski Wisniowka.

95 WOB-Punkte – J.A. Baczewski Ovovit  L: 19/2021718 - Gold
Altvater Gessler J.A. Baczewski, Österreich-1010 Wien, www.agjab.com
Fragrance: Skiful and very typical, straight-forward and concentrated, estery and berry-like basis, dominant egg yolk presence, vanilla pudding associations, wafers, light caramel, cinnamon, honey, slightly apple- and pear-like. Taste: Persuasive intensity, clearly dominant yolk aromas, a touch of citrus, orange, sponge cake, milk chocolate, nougat, creamy texture, compact body, harmonious, good length.

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