This is a revival for me. Way back in the late 1990's I used to really enjoy Barenjager, a liquor made with honey. I can recall several parties with fellow archaeologists wherein I would stroll around, bottle and shot glass in hand, offering my friends and colleagues a sample of it. I can't remember why I stopped buying it. Maybe the stores I shopped at stopped stocking it, or it became too expensive. Anyway, fast forward to several weeks ago, while I was perusing the hard liquor shelves at one of my local liquor stores. And there it was, my old friend, of sorts. So I thought it was long past time that I discuss it on my blog.
As I learned when I looked into it, Barenjager is more of a brand name than a liquor type. In Germany this type of alcohol is called barenfang, which means "bear trap" in their language. "Barenjager" means "bear hunter" in German. Another common name for this drink is meschkinnes, which means "male bear" in Lithuanian. Barenfang is often made in German households--I guess it's the equivalent of Americans brewing their own beer at home. But the history of barenfang goes back a bit. It was developed in East Prussia in the 15th century. The first commercial brand was made in that region's capital city of the time, Konigsberg. However, this part of the world has changed quite a bit over the centuries, due to Teutonic Knights, World Wars, etc. Currently what used to be East Prussia is now parts of Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. But, since the population in East Prussia at times contained a fair percentage of folks with German heritage, this distinctive liquor is also readily made and consumed in present day Germany. That out of the way, the drink is made using real honey as flavoring, and is usually 30-45% alcohol. Some describe the taste as being like a honey-flavored vodka.
Barenfang is usually known as barenjager outside of Germany, and I guess the places that used to be East Prussia. But Barenjager is associated with one brand, made by Teucke & Koenig. I couldn't find out much online about this brand, or its original parent company. Just that it's made with real honey, and is currently owned by Schwarze & Schlichte, which operates out of the German town of Oelde in North Rhine-Westphalia. I was able to discover some about that eventual parent company. According to old church records, the ancestors of the Schwarze family were owning and operating a grain distillery in Munsterland back in 1664. This business was moved to the town of Oelde in 1738. In 1872 Katharina Bernhordine Schwarze became the first woman in the company's history to serve as the manager. Finally, in 1990 Schwarze joined with the Schlichte distillery, which was based out of Steinhagen. In doing so they acquired the Barenjager brand. Aside from Barenjager, other products of Schwarze & Schlichte include Friedrich's Dry Gin, Pepino Peach, Licor 43, and Three Sixty Vodka, which is billed as being filtered through diamonds. (For other tales of vodkas that are filtered through rocks and meteorites, see my post on June 6, 2020.)
Barenjager: It's been a while since I had this, but my memory of it is pretty sound. I read many recipes which described various mixed cocktails which include Barenjager, but I always had it straight, as a shot. Its color, not surprisingly, was a honey-like brownish hue. The taste was what you'd expect--a hard liquor flavored with honey. Some tasters thought it was too sweet, but I quite enjoyed it. Maybe it would be a little too sweet to drink all night, but as an occasional shot I think it really hit the spot. So if you like honey in general, and sweet liqueurs, you'll probably like this one. I'll have to buy another bottle and revisit my twenties. Perhaps while listening to 90's music, and/or while watching a 90's television show or movie. Finally, the bottles I used to get had a fun and distinctive woven basket wrapped around them, but I don't think the company is using that anymore, alas. At least the bottle I saw the other day.
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