kirschwasser, or simply kirsch , is an eau-de-vie distilled from cherries and their pits that has a significance unlike many others in the German-speaking part of Europe. Different fruit distillates may play a bigger role locally, but it is kirsch that gained and maintained its reputation as a premium spirit also outside its heartland. From Mount Rigi in the center of Switzerland, where kirsch has played a key role for ages with commercial distilleries and brands dating back to the mid-nineteenth century, through the northern cantons of Aargau, Solothurn, and Basel, to the Schwarzwald in the south of Germany and across the Rhine into Alsace, it is the cherry tree whose white blossoms are the messengers of spring.
Even though many distilleries disappeared and the number of cherry trees in the region—and with that the volume of kirsch produced—decreased dramatically over the last century, kirsch has kept its place and constantly manages to reinvent itself. It is not only sipped as a digestif but also eaten in confectionery and desserts such as the black forest cake, Zuger kirschtorte, or Basler läckerli. Kirsch is also essential in the traditional cheese fondue—both as ingredient and as a delicious companion. It is also of course the base, or one of them, for some classic drinks, including the Café Brulôt and the signature Parisian drink, the Rose (Giovanni Mitta, the Rose’s inventor, was from northern Italy near the Swiss border). See Café Brûlot and Rose. With modern bartenders constantly searching for authentic, regional ingredients, kirsch has re-entered the world of cocktails with its fruity and almond-like flavors.
Until the 1990s, most producers generally sold their kirsch in two different qualities: standard and reserve, the latter of which is made from select fruit and rested for three or four years in stainless steel tanks or glass demijohns. Only during an exceptional year do some distilleries go on to produce a Jahrgangskirsch. This vintage bottling, usually an assemblage of different cherry varieties and a cuvée of the most sophisticated eaux-de-vie, will reflect this year’s harvest, weather, and the distillation style of that era. Of the approximately eight hundred cherry varieties known in Switzerland alone, some are better suited for distillation and some for table use. Whereas the latter come in the size you know from the supermarket, those for distilling tend to be smaller, with wild cherries being even tinier.
The mechanization of the harvest, modern stills with rectification columns, and controlled fermentation would eventually change the taste of kirsch from the late twentieth century onward. Also, the effect of ongoing research and growing knowledge of the different cherry varieties and what each them will bring to an eau-de-vie cannot be underestimated. Today, many producers offer single-variety kirsch like Lauerzer, Dolleseppler, Basler Langstiel, or Steinweichsel, just to name a few. Whereas kirsch is generally aged in glass or steel, some producers have started experimenting with barrel-aging, adding completely new aromas to this already diverse category.
See cherry brandy; eau-de-vie; and maraschino.
Andreae, Illa. Alle Schnäpse dieser Welt. Zurich: Transitbooks, 1973.
Dominé, André. The World of Spirits and Cocktails. Bonn: Tandem-Verlag, 2008.
By: Kaspar Keller