Zwack
Hungarian Herbal Liqueur Discontinued in USA hard to find in stock!
First produced in 1790. Made with a secret blend of 40 herbs and
spices and remains a Zwack family operation.
Zwack is
rather well-known in the United States and is often compared
to Jagermeister, with Zwack often being considered a gentler upgrade from
Jagermeister's often notorious reputation. Zwack uses the same base recipe as
Unicum, with a few of the ingredients adjusted. Notably, it is slightly
sweeter, the bitters are reduced, and the citrus elements are enhanced. It is a
wonderful bouquet of herbs and the citrus finish is rememberable.
Considered
the national booze of Hungary since the late 18th century, Zwack is an herbal
liqueur with a strong citrusy taste to it. But rather than hyper-bitter like
Fernet or cloying-bitter like Jäger, it's sweet and herbaceous with a bitter
finish. In its native Hungary Zwack is almost always served as a shot. But
we're having a lot of fun with it over here in cocktail-world, where we'd place
it in its own territory between an orange liqueur and an amaro.
The story of
Zwack is a long one, beginning in 1790 with Dr. Jozsef Zwack and the ailing
Emperor of Hungary, Joseph II. As with many liqueurs that date back a few
centuries, this recipe was Zwack's medicinal remedy for the emperor and it was
such a hit with the ruler that he reportedly said, "Dr. Zwack, Das ist ein
Unicum!," meaning unique. It soon led to Budapest's first liquor producer,
became a popular shot, and was known as the national drink of Hungary.
Distilled
from over forty herbs, Unicum is one of the oldest herb liqueurs in Europe. The
way of production and the secret recipe has remained the same since Unicum was
invented in 1790 and after six generations is still in the Zwack family.
The majority of the herbs, and spices used in Unicum comes from the Carpathian
basin, but ingredients are also imported from Morocco, China, India, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Nigeria, the Americas and Australia. The herbs are measured by hand
to this day, while some special ingredients, known as the "heart" of
Unicum, are personally weighed out by a family member, currently by Péter
Zwack’s widow, Anne Marshall Zwack.
The 2 ways of extracting flavor/fragrance is maceration and distillation. In
the case of Unicum, half the herbs are macerated, the others are distilled.
Sometimes the same herb is used in maceration and distillation. During
maceration, the herbs are immersed in corn alcohol, a process that gives
intensive, rich taste to the drink.
Ageing in oak casks confers on Unicum the final complexities in taste and
bouquet. Unicum has been aged in oak ever since it was invented in 1790. In a
labyrinth of cellars running under the Soroksári Road distillery Unicum today
is aged in 500 oak casks.
