Review: Jagermeister

Jagermeister Bottle and Shot Glass

Jagermeister. That name conjures up different images for many people.   For some, they associate it with a time long past of wild parties and nights out on the town. Everyone knows you shoot it right?

So why review Jagermeister? Simply because it one of the first bottles of alcohol I purchased when starting my home bar. This was before I knew I was setting up a home bar. In fact, it’s before I knew a lot of things. The one thing I did know was that I liked Jager!

So what is Jagermeister? First, we must go back to 19th century Germany to the origins of Mast-Jagermeister, the company that produces the liqueur.

In 1878, Wilheim Mast decided to start a wine and spirits company in Wolfenbuttel, Germany. Later, Curt Mast decided to diversify the company and develop herbal liqueurs or cordials. In 1934, he developed Jagermeister, named after local gamekeepers. He carefully chose a name already familiar to the local population. It is said that Curt was an avid hunter, so he decided to depict on the bottle, St. Hubertus, the patron saint of hunters and foresters. Down to the bottle design, Curt wanted something that would be easily recognizable. The dark green bottle today is the original bottle design, picked simply because it could survive a drop from a decent height and not break.

Now, you can have the label, name, and a bottle, and if it doesn’t taste great than why produce it? I’m sure any spirit producer would say that the craft of the spirit is what is most important.

Jagermeister is an herbal liqueur. It is made from 56 (why not 57?) herbs, woods, spices, fruits, blossoms, seeds and roots. These ingredients go under a process called cold maceration, where their essences are extracted. This liquid is then placed in oak barrels for a period of twelve months. When the batch is ready, it is mixed with alcohol, sugar, and water. The resulting liqueur tastes of citrus, star anise, and ginger.

Best served ice cold, it has become one of the most popular “shooter” liqueurs in the world, and the United States, thanks to Sydney Frank and Co., importers of the liqueur. Today there are Jagermeister Podcasts, Music Tours, etc., and Jagermeister merchandise to keep Jagermeister at top-of-mind awareness for the consumer and bar managers.

JagerMonster

Sure, you can shoot it, but what else can you do? Unfortunately, not a lot of bartenders know of any other use for Jagermeister but as a shot. One of thereasons I love Jager is the fact that you can mix lots of good drinks with it. Take for instance, Jager and Coke( 1 1/2 oz Jager topped with Cola over ice), or the Jager Monster (1 1/2 oz Jager, Top with Orange Juice, and Float Grenadine…Imagine a Tequila Sunrise sans the Tequila). But one of my favorites is simply Jager on the Rocks. I have paid upwards of $15 – $20 for this in bars where the bartender just thought I was absolutely crazy and thus he charged me for the number of $2.00 shots to fill a rocks glass.

Jager and Cola

I have to say, Jagermeister is one of my all time favorites. It’s always in my home bar or the freezer or both. If you want to try it, it runs about $22.00 for 750ml. I would advise you to check out the website at www.jagermeister.com, the international version. The entire site is Flash based and it quite cool. There are oodles of recipies, including those I mentioned as well as some classy-looking cocktails to boot.