Cornelius – Herzog Destillate Dirndl
It is Dry January I know and this year I am also taking a break from alcohol. However, I still have a few (alcoholic) spirits I tried last year I want to write about. So, in-between non-alcoholic beverages, you will find the occasional eau de vie or liqueur thrown in. In this case, I want to write about a spirit for eau de vie enthusiast distilled from cornelian cherries. I also used the rather special eau de vie in a Manhattan version. So, this should be fun.
I already featured the blood orange eau de vie distilled by Siegfried Herzog Destillate in 2020. However, at the end of 2021 the cornelian cherry (called Dirndl in Austria) eau de vie caught my eye from their vast range of spirits. Besides, me having a weak spot for unusual and rare fruits, their spirit was rated 99 points by Falstaff magazine. Apart from that, the fruit mash is distilled in a column still from Carl and rests in glass demijohns before bottling. Siegfried Herzog uses spring water from the Pinzgau for diluting his eau de vies to a drinking strength of 40 % ABV.
Wild fruit notes
The Dirndl eau de vie reminds me of rowan berry spirits with a certain twist towards cherries and black fruits. Apart from that, I tasted noticeable apricot kernels with additional floral notes. On top of the rose petal notes, I found some grassy flavours and a slight acidity. All in all, the Herzog cornelian cherry eau de vie is complex with great wild fruit flavours.
Elaborate Manhattan variation
It seems like an easy thing to do when you just add an eau de vie to a Manhattan. However, when tasting the Dirndl eau de vie, I just knew that I had to use it in a Manhattan. For the whiskey base, I went for the excellent Russel’s Reserve Straight Rye. The six-year-old rye whiskey is bottled by Wild Turkey and a special Small Batch selection by the master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell. To spice everything up, I used the Bittermen’s Boston Bittahs.
1,5 cl Herzog Dirndl Brand
2,25 cl Yzaguirre Reserve Sweet Vermouth
Stir – strain – chilled Cocktail glass;
Garnish: Brandied Cherry (drop);
Song: Ben Howard – Conrad;
The drink starts just like a regular Manhattan would. However, after the initial wave of rye whiskey and vermouth, a more fruity note with hints of bitter almonds develops. The Yzaguirre Reserve and the Boston Bittahs also add more spiciness. Moreover, the brandied cherry works extremely well as a garnish in this drink. In the end, the “Corenlius” is a bit warmer and richer in flavour than your average Manhattan.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The eau de vie was provided by Siefried Herzog Destillate.
