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| Type | Digestif |
|---|---|
| Alcohol by volume | 35% |
| Proof | 70 |
| Manufacturer | Mast-Jägermeister AG |
| Country of origin | Wolfenbüttel, Germany |
| Introduced | 1935 |
| Color | Dark brown |
Jägermeister (ˈjeːgəˌmɑɪstʰə) is a German 70-proof digestif[1]that is made with herbs, roots, and spices. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister AG, headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, south of Braunschweig, Germany.
Contrary to an urban legend, it does not contain any deer or elk blood. [2]
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General
Jägermeister’s recipe is a trade secret. It is a digestif spirit similar to other central European stomach bitters, such as Gammel Dansk from Denmark, Unicum from Hungary, and Becherovka from the Czech Republic. In contrast with these beverages, Jägermeister has a sweeter taste.
On its website, the producer recommends that Jägermeister be consumed cold and suggests that it be kept in a freezer at -18°C (0°F), or on tap between -15° and -11°C (5° to 12°F).
In Germany, the term Bitter applies only to those bitters that are actually bitter. Since Jägermeister has a semi-sweet flavour, it is instead considered a Kräuterlikör (literally “herbal liqueur”); the technical term for it is Halbbitter (“half bitter”). Most of the many other brands of Kräuterlikör in Germany are not widely exported. Jägermeister is the market leader in Germany.citation needed
Translated literally, Jägermeister means “hunt-master,” combining Jäger (hunter) and Meister (master, in the sense of an accomplished professional). A free translation would be gamekeeper or forest supervisor. As a legal term, Jägermeister was introduced in 1934 to designate senior foresters and hunters in the forestry administration.
The Jägermeister logo, which shows the head of a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers, is a reference to the stories of Saint Hubertus and Saint Eustace.[3] On the edge of the label on a Jägermeister bottle, there apppears the following poem by Otto von Riesenthal (1848):
- Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
- Daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
- Weidmännisch jagt, wie sich’s gehört,
- Den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt.
A loose translation which preserves the rhyme and meter is:
- This is the hunter’s badge of glory,
- That he protect and tend his quarry,
- Hunt with honour, as is due,
- And through the beast to God is true.
According to Mast-Jägermeister AG, the translation is:
- It is the hunter’s honour that he
- Protects and preserves his game,
- Hunts sportsmanlike, honours the
- Creator in His creatures.
History
The term "Jägermeister" was introduced in 1934 in Germany with the new "Reichsjagdgesetz" (Reich hunting law) and applied to foresters and hunters that were civil servants. Thus, when the liquor was introduced in 1935, the name already sounded familiar. Curt Mast, inventor of the Jägermeister-liquor, was an ambitious hunter himself. As Hermann Göring was appointed "Reichsjägermeister" ("Reich hunter master") in July 1934, the liquor was occasionally called "Göring-Schnaps" during the Nazi-Era. The descendants of the proprietor at that time do not comment on the detailed origins of the name.
The original purpose of this concoction was medicinal; being used to cure everything from an incessant cough to digestive problems. It was used in World War II as a field anesthetic.citation needed In Germany, it is still widely recognised as a digestif, and is kept in some German households for such purposes, sometimes being irreverently called Leberkleister (i.e., "liver-glue"). It is also commonly used in small quantities around the home as an insect trap, as small flies and wasps are drawn to the sweet smell and taste of the drink.citation needed
As of 1970, Jägermeister was exported to fifty countries.citation needed
In recent years, it has been considered a very popular drink among college students, most commonly being mixed with the Red Bull energy drink to make a Jägerbomb.
Sponsorship
From the 1970s, the Jägermeister brand has developed an association with motor racing, as they have sponsored various European racing teams, primarily those who fielded BMWs[4] and Porsches. These teams have competed in various major racing series including: Formula One (March and EuroBrun), DRM (Max Moritz,[5] Kremer, Zakspeed), DTM and Group C (Brun Motorsport), who took the team title in the 1986 World Sportscar Championship.
Jägermeister's orange livery is one of the more commonly recognised in motorsport. The Spanish Fly slot car brand has recently brought out model cars with the distinctive design. More recently, they introduced the Naylor Racing NHRA Pro Stock car, minus its signature orange livery.[6] The livery's notability was proven when an article in the January 31, 2008, edition of Autosport listed it as one of twenty most iconic commercial color schemes.[7]
Jägermeister also had its involvement in table tennis, as it sponsored a domestic team called TTC Jägermeister Calw, and was a personal sponsor of Dragutin Šurbek.
Jägermeister is also associated with the German football league, especially in Bundesliga. In 1973, the Eintracht Braunschweig team were the first to sport a sponsor logo on their jerseys, although they refused a related attempt to re-name the team Eintracht Jägermeister. The move, very controversial at the time, paid the team 100,000 DM (€51,130) and introduced a new way of doing business in football that is worth millions today. Other clubs quickly followed suit. Now, Jägermeister sponsors advertising at various football stadiums in Germany.[8]
In the United States, it became popular through the savvy promotion of Sidney Frank and through association with the wild partying of heavy metal bands such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, and Slayer.[9] Jägermeister is the tour sponsor of numerous rock and ska bands such as Spunge, Chimaira, GWAR, Dope, Hanzel und Gretyl, Hemlock, Mushroomhead, Orange Goblin, Dog Fashion Disco, Bloodhound Gang, SikTh, My Ruin, Corrupt Absolute, Electric Eel Shock, Big John Bates, Psychostick, and STEMM.
The Jägermeister Music Tour, which is owned by Sidney Frank Importing, is an event that is held each year in the spring and fall.
In 2008, Jägermeister moved into cyberspace and launched its own podcast, called “The Jägercast.”
See also
References
- ^ The bitter truth, Drinks International, 1 October 2007
- ^ Jägermeister contains deer or elk blood
- ^ New York Times: Biblical Art in a Secular Century
- ^ BMW am Jägermeister Look Photo series, auto racing
- ^ Exoto's Racing Legends — Porsche 934 RSR/935 Turbo Jägermeister Gift Set
- ^ Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.: Start Your Engines! Jägermeister Teams Up With Naylor Racing and the NHRA!
- ^ Flying Colours by Henry Hope-Frost, Autosport, 31 January 2008
- ^ Official website in English
- ^ Metallica and the Story of Thrash: Metal Hammer Special, dated July 2008, pp. 56–59.
External links
- Official website in English
- Official website in German
- Official website for the United States
- Jägermeister Music Program
- Review of Jägermeister
