The title of this article contains the character ä. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Baerenjaeger.
A bottle of Bärenjäger.
Bärenjäger, also called Bärenfang, is a Germanhoney-flavoured liqueur based on vodka. In the English speaking world it's generally called Bärenjäger, but in Germany, Bärenfang is the more common name. Bärenfang has an alcohol content between 30% to 45% alcohol by volume (60-90 proof), Bärenjäger is, de facto, a type of Bärenfang with 35% ABV (70 proof).
The liqueur was first developed in the German province of East Prussia in the 15th century. Bärenjäger was the first commercial brand of Bärenfang and it is produced by Teucke & Koenig. The company at that time was known as Teucke & Koenig Bear Trap Company, Königsberg/Pr. There is, in fact, an image of a fur trapper trapping a bear on Teucke & Koenigs Bärenjäger bottle. Today, Teuke & Koenig is owned by Schwarze & Schlichte from Oelde in North Rhine-Westphalia, which itself also makes another Bärenfang with 33% ABV (66 proof). The Bärenfang by Teuke & Koenig is also quite often exported and therefore the name Bärenjäger is so common outside of Germany. However, within Germany, there are other producers of Bärenfang but their products are less often available outside of Germany.
Bärenjäger is made to the original Bärenfang (literally "Bear's trap") recipe. The name "Bärenjäger" translated in German literally means "bear hunter". Its ingredients are somewhat similar to Okhotnichya, or "hunters' vodka" marketed by the Russian company Stolichnaya.
In Germany, Bärenfang is also homemade since the basic recipe and many variations are generally available. Most homemade Bärenfang is also based on vodka but some recipes with a higher alcohol content are based on rectified spirit. Bärenfang is always made with honey from nectar since the use of honey from honeydew sometimes creates a bitter aftertaste.
Trivia
In English texts, Bärenfang and Bärenjäger are often written Barenfang and Barenjager but the proper spelling without umlauts is Baerenfang and Baerenjaeger. The German word Bär (which is part of both names) is a very good example to illustrate why it is essential to rewrite a German umlaut with an e, since Bär means bear, but the German word Bar means bar, like in English.
