Bärenjäger - like drinking liquid honey

Time for some more umlauts, though with Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur, they're at least real since this German liqueur has been around since the 15th century. The story is that Bärenjäger (translated as bear hunter) was based on a mead-like moonshine that hunters used to lure bears. Bärenjäger's label captures that idea with the poor bear falling into a trap laid by the hunter hiding behind the figurative bee hive. Don't do it bear - run away!

Ah well. So much for 15th century values. Honestly, Bärenjäger isn't worth falling into a trap for, though it's not a bad liqueur. It's very sweet, and tastes like liquid honey with a very slight spicy finish that belies that 35% alcohol of this liqueur. The recipe is supposed to be secret, but many Germans make their own honey liqueur, so most likely the ingredients are similar to home recipes which contain cloves, vanilla, good quality honey and vodka. It has a wonderfully whimsical bottle design with a beehive for a cap and woven straw wraparound. Even their website is cleverly done with buzzing bees providing menu options (though there isn't much content - maybe they spent all their marketing money on the bees?).

Bärenjäger is often drunk neat, though Teucke & Koenig ( Bärenjäger producers) recommend you drink it cold. They've also been trying to entice bartenders to use it more in innovative drinks by sponsoring competitions. I actually had a really good barrel aged cocktail at Tavern Law recently which featured Bärenjäger. Here's one recipe that I've tasted which, while not up to the Tavern Law standard, is still pretty good.

Bee Hive

• 1 oz Bärenjäger
• 1 oz whiskey (rye works nicely)
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shake together with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Bärenjäger is widely available in Washington state.