Jagermeister: "Magic in a Bottle"

Sauerkraut, Heidi Klum, and BMW are just some of the incredible exports brought to us by way of great German engineering. Recently though, one Deutschland discovery in particular has captured America’s heart. 56 herbs, a few secret ingredients, and the ability to turn a church group into girls gone wild are facts that continue to add to the lore that is Jagermeister liqueur.

The history and creation of this “liquid crack” is as interesting and unique as the acts performed by those under its influence. According to Jagermeister’s official website, “Curt Mast developed the herb liqueur Jägermeister in 1934. The unique recipe remains secret to this day.”

This secret sparks many a debate between drunken college students across the world. Opiates were believed to have been used to give Jager it’s so called “different kind of drunk”. The mother of all internet legends though, involves the belief that the color of the liquor is derived from the secret ingredient of stag blood. The syrupy color, along with the picture of the deer on the bottle, make some weary of the possibilities.

The list of ingredients available to the public is available on Jagermeister.com. Included among the herbs is “cinnamon from Sri Lanka, bitter oranges from Australia, ginger root from southern Asia, red sandalwood from East India, and blueberries from Europe” Steps of proper weighing, maceration, storing, and bottling must be taken to insure the delivery of 750ml, 70 proof liquor worldwide.

Influence of this brand stretches from local dive bars to trendy Hollywood parties. It has even been added to the list of Googlism’s that allow individuals a chance to best define this enigmatic product. Jager-bomb’s, a mixture of red-bull and a shot of Jager, are top choices of bar patrons across the country. Aficionados of the drink though can list hundreds of different ways one can enjoy the flavor of the Jagermeister.

The brand is even breaking through to the millions of health conscious Americans who prefer Michelob Ultra to the neighborhood microbrew. Without taking on the booze giants fighting over calorie grams in advertising the Jagermeister creators offer something much more substantial. A shot of the syrup, and its 56 herbs and spices, actually aid the digestive system and keep things moving regularly.

The full impact of this import is yet to be seen but one thing is known for sure; Jager now ranks with David Hasselhoff as a premium German product.