The recipe was developed by the pharmacist Willy Drube (1880–1952), since 1908 proprietor of the chemist's Zum Roten Fingerhut in Schierke, and which was patented in 1924. Initially administered to Harz tourists, the liqueur soon became a big seller until production was discontinued during World War II. By the end of the war, Schierke belonged to the Soviet occupation zone.
After the death of Willy Drube in 1952 and the migration of his descendants to West Germany, production was continued at Bad Lauterberg in the Lower Saxon part of the Harz mountain range. From 1972 onwards, Schierker Feuerstein was also produced again at the original place in Schierke, East Germany by a Volkseigener Betrieb ("Publicly Owned Operation", VEB), part of a larger beverages combine (Getränkekombinat) based in Magdeburg.
Upon German reunification in 1990, the Schierke and Bad Lauterberg locations merged within the common Schierker Feuerstein GmbH & Co. KG, which continued to produce the liqueur in both facilities.
Composition
Made according to the tightly guarded original recipe, Schierker Feuerstein is related to the following bitter drinks which are all based on the bitter herb, Artemisia: Underberg and Jägermeister (Germany), Piołunówka (Poland), Fernet-Branca (Italy) and Gammel Dansk (Denmark). Artemisia is called wormwood in England. It kills most bacteria and worms in the gut.[citation needed]
The company recommends that Schierker Feuerstein be kept on ice and served cold. It can also be an ingredient of different cocktails and long drinks.
Herbsaint is a brand name of anise-flavored liqueur originally created as an absinthe-substitute in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1934, and currently produced by the Sazerac Company.
Bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are sold as digestifs, sometimes with herbal properties, and as cocktail flavorings.
Chartreuse is a French herbal liqueur available in green and yellow versions that differ in taste and alcohol content. The liqueur has been made by the Carthusian monks since 1737 according to the instructions set out in a manuscript given to them by François Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. It was named after the monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery, located in the Chartreuse Mountains in the general region of Grenoble in France. The liqueur is produced in their distillery in nearby Aiguenoire. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbs, plants and flowers.
Jägermeister is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35%. The recipe has not changed since its creation and continues to be served in its signature green glass bottle. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE headquartered in Wolfenbüttel, Germany.
Unicum is a Hungarian herbal liqueur or bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif. The liqueur was created in 1790 and is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs; the drink is aged in oak casks. During communism in Hungary, the Zwack family lived in exile in New York City and Chicago, and Unicum in Hungary was produced using a different formula. Before moving to the United States, János Zwack had entrusted a family friend in Milan with the production of Unicum based on the original recipe. After the fall of communism, Péter Zwack returned to Hungary and resumed production of the original Unicum.
Braunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony in Germany. Situated within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken massif, Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly skiing. Nearby ski resorts include the Sonnenberg and the slopes on the Wurmberg.
Becherovka, formerly Karlsbader Becherbitter, is a herbal bitters, often drunk as a digestif. It is produced in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic by the Jan Becher company. The brand is owned by Pernod Ricard. It is made from a secret recipe based on more than twenty types of herbs and spices.
Drambuie is a golden-coloured, 40% ABV liqueur made from Scotch whisky, heather honey, herbs and spices. The brand was owned by the MacKinnon family for 100 years, and was bought by William Grant & Sons in 2014.
Bénédictine is a herbal liqueur produced in France. It was developed by wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century, and is reputedly flavored with twenty-seven flowers, berries, herbs, roots, and spices.
Bärenfang or Meschkinnes is a German honey-flavoured liqueur based on vodka. It is usually called Bärenjäger in English-speaking countries.
Kräuterlikör[ˈkʀɔɪtɐlikøːɐ] is a type of liqueur that is flavored with herbs or spices and traditionally drunk neat as a digestif, very close to the concept of an italian amaro.
Génépi or génépy or genepì is a traditional herbal liqueur or aperitif popularized in the Alpine regions of Europe. Genepi also refers to alpine plants of the genus Artemisia that provide the liqueur's flavor and color, and the French Savoy region adjacent to the Aosta Valley, where the Artemisia genepi plants grow and where the beverage is commonly produced.
Licor 43, or Cuarenta y Tres, is a Spanish liqueur, made in Cartagena, Spain.
Nocino is a dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts. The walnuts and the liquor are handled using ceramic or wooden tools and placed in an alcoholic base. After steeping in spirit, the walnuts are removed and the alcohol is mixed with simple syrup. Nocino has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade; villages and even individual families often have their own recipes, including different additions like cinnamon, juniper berries, lemon or orange zest, vanilla pods, coffee beans, or clove. The spices are added lightly, to avoid overpowering the flavour of the walnuts. The classic base consists of pure alcohol but vodka can also be used. Nocino is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available nocino is typically 40 percent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.
Bad Lauterberg is a town in the district of Göttingen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km southwest of Braunlage, and 20 km southeast of Osterode am Harz.
Schierke is a village and a former municipality in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Wernigerode. Situated within the Harz mountain range in the valley of the river Bode, at the rim of the Harz National Park, it is mainly a tourist resort, especially for hiking and all kinds of winter sports.
Korn, also known as Kornbrand or Kornbranntwein, is a German colorless distilled beverage produced from fermented cereal grain seed. In the production of Korn only the cereal grain types rye, wheat, barley, oats and buckwheat are permissible. Most of the production is based on rye or wheat; barley is mainly used to obtain the required malt for the brewing process, while oats and buckwheat are rarely used. The addition of food colorings, flavorings, or sweeteners is not permitted. Korn differs from vodka in that it is distilled to lower alcoholic proofs and less rigorously filtered, which leaves more of the cereal grain flavor in the finished spirit.
Irish Mist is an Irish whiskey-based liqueur produced in Tullamore, Ireland, by the Irish Mist Liqueur Company Ltd. In September 2010 it was announced that the brand was being bought by Gruppo Campari from William Grant, only a few months after Grants had bought it from the C&C Group. It is made from aged Irish whiskey, heather and clover honey, aromatic herbs, and other spirits, blended to an ancient recipe claimed to be 1,000 years old. Though it was once 80 US proof, Irish Mist is now 35% or 70 US proof. The bottle shape has also been changed from a "decanter" style to a more traditional whiskey bottle shape. It is currently available in more than 40 countries.
Zwack is a Budapest, Hungary based company that makes liqueurs and spirits. The company produces an 80 proof herbal liqueur known as Unicum from a secret blend of more than forty different herbs and spices. Unicum is known as one of the national drinks of Hungary.
The Feuersteinklippe is a rock formation in the Harz National Park in central Germany and the landmark of the nearby village of Schierke.
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