INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JÄGERMEISTER

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JÄGERMEISTER

         

A typical partying rite of passage includes experiencing the famous Jägerbomb, which is made by dropping a shot of Jägermeister into a glass of Red Bull. Some cringe at the 35% alcoholic drink, but the kräuterlikör (herbal liquor) is actually the world’s most popular liquor brand.

Love it or hate it, Jägermeister has been recognized around the world since 1935, and it’s here to stay. Read up on these facts to sound a little more German before you pour your next shot.

It was invented in a vinegar factory

Curt Mast came up with Jäger’s original recipe in 1935, but it was 20 years before that he took over his Father’s vinegar factory in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. Mast stopped producing the acidic stuff to focus entirely on manufacturing spirits, eventually creating the concoction we know and love today. 

Still use the same,extraordinarily complicated recipe

The mixture of 56 (!) herbs, including citrus peel, licorice, and ginseng, has never changed in the whole 79 years. In fact, the exact ingredients are a company secret.

It Has Been Made in the Same Place for 80 Years

In 1935, Curt Mast started making Jägermeister in Wolfenbuttel, Germany. For more than 80 years, Wolfenbuttel has been the go-to place for Jägermeister. Much of the town revolves around the factory where the drink is made. Although the town has just over 50,000 residents, it still sees an influx of tourists each year who come just for the Jägermeister.

 

Wolfenbüttel is quite the tourist attraction

For a town of only about 50,000 people, Wolfenbüttel gets a lot of traffic all thanks to the Jägermeister fame. Visitors come to tour the factory and headquarters, and yes, there’s even a Jägermeister Guesthouse.
 

It takes over a year to make

Before it reaches the bottle, Jägermeister goes through quite a lengthy process. The ingredients are filtered and stored in oak barrels for 365 days. Then there’s a series of 383 quality checks, including another round of filtering with sugar, caramel, alcohol, and water.

The Germans call it "liver glue"

While many of us know Jägermeister by way of the nightclub shot glass, it was actually invented as a digestif. In Germany, it’s still popular for an after-dinner sip, that’s why it’s lovingly known as “leberkleister”.
 

Jägermeister heals

Like many herbal liqueurs, Jägermeister was originally used medicinally, and even today people swear by its healing properties for easing flu symptoms from cough to sore throats.
 

It doesn’t contain deer or elk blood

Contrary to urban legend, vital fluids are not among the 56 ingredients. 

The Deer on the Bottle Is the Hubertus Stag

The white stag and cross on the front of all Jägermeister bottles have a lot more history behind them than you might think. They are based on the legend of the Hubertus Stag. The story stretches back nearly 1,400 years when a hunter named Hubertus saw a white stag and cross and decided to dedicate his life to the church. Even to this day he is known as the Patron Saint of Hunters.
 

It's a summer drink

Or at least, that's the inherent implication of Jägermeister Spice; a “winter edition” of the herbal liqueur made with the same 56 ingredients, but with an emphasis on cinnamon and vanilla and a lower alcohol level.

The logo has a badass story

It’s inspired by a pair of patron saints -hunters who converted to Christianity after seeing the vision of a crucifix appearing between a stag’s antlers - the first of which was a Roman general who then, apparently had his newfound faith tested to the limit. His wife was kidnapped, his wealth stole, his servants died, and his children were taken away by a wolf and a lion -but he held firm, and totally got them all back! Except the servants.
 

Germans use it in their insect traps

Wasps and flies love Jägermeister too! 

 

It’s awesome to cook with

Believe it or not, Jägermeister makes flavorful chicken wing sauce, marinade, and even fudgy brownies. For a little inspiration, check out Chef Chris Santos' five-course, Jäger-infused dinner

Its more popular than ever in the last 10 years

Jägermeister’s sales have seriously spiked in this decade. It’s sold in 80 countries, with 80% of sales coming from outside Germany, but Jäg’s especially popular in the US where sales have quadrupled in recent years. 

Philadelphia Celebrates a Jägermeister Day

The people of Philadelphia really love their Jägermeister. In 2006, then Mayor of Philadelphia, John F. Street, officially declared November 14 to be Jägermeister Day. You can probably guess how the residents of city celebrated the occasion.
 

It's the world's best-selling liqueur brand

Yet, they only have 530 employees!

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Label contains the following verse from the poem

The label on Jägermeister bottles features a glowing Christian cross seen between the antlers of a stag.This image is a reference to the two Christian patron saints of hunters, Saint Hubertus and Saint Eustace, both of whom converted to Christianity after experiencing a vision in which they saw a Christian cross between the antlers of a stag.

In the product name on the label is one of the few surviving examples of the use of the long s in print.

The label contains the following verse from the poem Weidmannsheil, by the forester, hunter, and ornithologist Oskar von Riesenthal ; von Reisenthel is not credited on the label.

Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,

daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,

weidmännisch jagt, wie sich's gehört,

den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt.

According to Mast-Jägermeister SE, the translation is:

It is the hunter's honour that he

Protects and preserves his game,

Hunts sportsmanlike, honours the

Creator in His creatures.

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.

The Drink Has a Nazi Nickname

When Jägermeister first began in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis ruled the area. At the time, the drink developed a nickname related to the Nazi Imperial Huntmaster, Hermann Görring. The nickname was Göring-Schnapps, and needless to say, Jägermeister has done everything it can to distance itself from that moniker.

Jägermeister Was the First Company to Sponsor a Soccer Team

Soccer teams didn't always have logos plastered all over their kits. For better or for worse, Jägermeister started this trend. In 1973, the Jägermeister logo was adopted by a European sports team as a form of advertising. The move didn't go over too well with everyone but the idea stuck and now nearly every soccer kit in the world has a logo somewhere on it.

The Liqueur Has Some Interesting Chinese Names

Up until 2006, Jägermeister was called "Sheng Lu," which roughly translated to "sacred stag." Unfortunately, that name didn't go over too well and Jägermeister never saw much success in China. The drink was forced to rebrand and became "Ye Ge," or "wild character." Since then, Jägermeister has grown much more popular in China as its new name is more representative of its consumer.

Its original nickname isn’t pleasant

Due to its “Hunting Master” title, Hitler’s right hand man, Hermann Görring, deemed the liquor Görring-Schnapps. Göring was the Imperial Huntmaster (Reichsjägermeister) under Hitler. Clearly, the nickname hasn’t been used in a while.

The bottle was tested to perfection

Jägermeister was originally created in vinegar factory after the owner’s son, Curt Mast, took his father’s company in a boozy direction. Mast always knew his drink would be a hit at parties and wanted a bottle that could handle a fall or two. Rumor has it that Mast dropped hundreds of bottles on an oak floor until they didn’t break. Today’s iconic green bottle is the only one that passed the party test