Strawberry liqueur

Strawberry liqueur with field-fresh fruit and fine blood orange

The strawberry liqueur from Brennerei Ehringhausen is created from sun-ripened strawberries from a local farm, accompanied by the spirit of blood orange. At 17% ABV, it is light and fruity, bottled as a limited edition.

A strawberry liqueur is a fruit liqueur that stands or falls by its berry, which is why the strawberries used here come from a neighboring farm. The fresher they are from the field, the better the quality—that is the philosophy at Brennerei Ehringhausen. They are processed quickly and gently, with blood orange and the distillery’s own fine wheat spirit added to the mix.

Fragrant, juicy, velvety

Upon opening, the scent of ripe strawberries immediately fills the room—the aroma you know from a basket of berries in June.

On the palate, the fruit profile is deep and dark, not like a strawberry candy, but like strawberries left on the vine a few hours too long, becoming even sweeter. It glides across the tongue—fruity, juicy, and summery.

Behind this, the blood orange comes into play, doing exactly what the liqueur needs. Strawberry alone can quickly become one-dimensional and heavy. The citrus note provides a counterpoint, lifting the fruit and giving the finish an edge that you wouldn't have expected.

There is a reason why it must be blood orange and not lemon. Lemon would be sharp and would overpower the strawberry. The blood orange brings a dark, almost berry-like sweetness along with its acidity, which settles beneath the strawberry rather than standing in front of it. Two red fruits pulling in the same direction.

From the local farm

The strawberries come from a local strawberry farm, and that is a deliberate choice.

Strawberries are the most delicate berry of all. They travel poorly, losing their aroma within hours of harvest and becoming soft, which is why produce shipped over long distances is usually picked unripe. By keeping distances short, the fruit can be picked ripe and processed fresh, and that is exactly what matters for a fruit liqueur.

Hand-picking is essential anyway, because one bruised berry in the batch can spoil the whole brew. First ripe, then fast—that is how Theres and Georg describe the process, and you can taste at the end whether it was followed.

The fact that this results in a limited-time bottling is in the nature of the product. Strawberries are available for only a few weeks a year, and whatever isn't used in the batch during that time simply isn't included. Anyone opening a bottle in winter is bringing the past summer back to life.

Neat, on ice, or in sparkling wine

Serve well chilled; if the bottle has been in the cupboard, 30 minutes in the refrigerator is enough.

In a small glass, the strawberry shows itself neat without any dilution, and it rarely stays that way for long. Poured over ice, it becomes a summer drink, and topped with something sparkling, it creates an aperitif that needs no further ingredients. A splash in the glass is enough, the rest is sparkling wine, and the 500 ml bottle goes surprisingly far.

In the kitchen, it belongs over vanilla ice cream, in a strawberry cream, or as a soak for a sponge cake. It also works well poured over fresh strawberries—a combination that might sound redundant but works surprisingly well, as the liqueur brings the fruit of high summer back even in November.

For something more chocolatey, try the cherry chocolate liqueur, and find more bottles in our liqueur selection. It is made in Werne, where the family has been distilling since 1962 and the siblings have been running the business in the third generation since 2012; you can find everything else in the Brennerei Ehringhausen assortment.

Limited edition here means: as long as the harvest lasted. Summer in a bottle, and as we know, that is finite.