Himbeergeist

the clear raspberry spirit of the Black Forest: ripe raspberries steeped in neutral spirit and redistilled to capture the fruit's fleeting perfume, drunk ice-cold as a digestif

Origin: The Black Forest and the Rhineland, Germany

From the journey of Raspberry.

Himbeergeist, literally 'raspberry spirit', is the classic clear raspberry eau-de-vie of the Black Forest and the Rhineland, one of the family of great German and Alsatian fruit distillates that includes the cherry Kirschwasser and the pear Williams. It is distinguished from most fruit brandies by its method, and the distinction is dictated by the raspberry itself: the fruit is too low in sugar and too delicate to ferment into a wine worth distilling, so instead of fermenting the fruit, the distiller steeps whole ripe raspberries in a high-strength neutral spirit for several weeks, drawing the aroma and flavour into the alcohol, and then redistils the infused spirit. The result, the 'Geist' as opposed to the fermented 'Wasser' or 'Brand', captures the raspberry's fugitive perfume with astonishing purity: crystal clear, bone dry, and intensely fragrant of fresh fruit, with none of the sweetness one expects from the smell. It is drunk ice-cold in small tulip glasses as a digestif at the end of a meal, and used by pastry cooks to perfume creams and fruit dishes. This is a simplified home method for a raspberry-infused spirit in the spirit of Himbeergeist; true distillation requires a still and, in most countries, a licence.

Ingredients

Infusion

  • 750 g ripe raspberries
  • 700 ml high-strength neutral grain spirit or good vodka (40% or higher)

Equipment

  • 1 large sterilised glass jar with a tight lid

Method

  1. Pick over the raspberries, discarding any that are damaged or under-ripe. Tip them into the sterilised jar and pour over the spirit so the fruit is completely submerged. Seal tightly.
  2. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and leave to steep for at least 4 weeks, shaking gently every few days. The spirit will take on a deep red colour and the full aroma of raspberry.
  3. Strain the spirit through a muslin-lined sieve into a clean jug, letting it drip without pressing the fruit hard. Discard the spent fruit.
  4. Pour the strained raspberry spirit into a clean sterilised bottle and seal. Rest for at least a week before drinking to let the flavour settle.
  5. Serve ice-cold in small glasses as a digestif, or keep in the freezer so it pours thick and frosted.

Notes

True Himbeergeist is made by macerating the fruit in neutral spirit and then redistilling it, which removes the colour and concentrates the aroma into a clear, dry spirit; this home infusion cannot replicate the distillation, so it remains coloured and fuller-bodied, closer to a raspberry-infused vodka than to a genuine eau-de-vie. For a drier result, use the highest-strength neutral spirit you can legally obtain. Distilling spirit at home is illegal in many countries without a licence; this recipe involves only steeping, not distillation. The infused spirit keeps indefinitely.

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