Jagermeister Liqueur

Curt Mast worked out the Jägermeister recipe in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, in 1934, and it went on sale the next year. It uses 56 herbs, roots and spices, matured in oak barrels, and it is bottled at 35%.

Behind the shot reputation is a proper herbal liqueur. It is ruddy brown, led by licorice and clove, with cinnamon, gingerbread and molasses on a warming palate and a faint, bracing bitterness at the end.

Next to Fernet-Branca it is sweeter and rounder; next to Amaro Montenegro it is darker and spicier. For shots, Jäger is the bottle. For a slow glass after dinner, it holds up better than you might think, but Montenegro is the gentler sip.

Jägermeister's own advice is the right one: keep the bottle in the freezer and serve it ice cold.

Find more herbal liqueurs and amari under liqueurs and cordials. Pick it up at our Brooklyn store or get same-day delivery across NYC.