Wild Raspberry Spirit

Wild Raspberry Spirit by Piekfeine Brände from Romanian forests

Wild Raspberry Spirit by Piekfeine Brände is a clear raspberry spirit made from wild forest raspberries gathered in the forests of Romania. It takes 2.5 kg of berries for 1 liter of spirit, because raspberries are not fermented but macerated in alcohol and distilled gently.

Wild Raspberry Spirit is the clear raspberry spirit from Piekfeine Brände in Bremen, distilled by Birgitta Schulze van Loon from wild forest raspberries. The berries come from Romanian forests, and the distillate is bottled at 40% vol in a 350 ml bottle.

Wild berry with a hint of forest floor

The aroma hits you immediately: red berry, cheeky and sweet, like a handful of raspberries on a hot July day.

Behind it lies something darker, an earthy tone familiar from the forest floor. This is exactly what distinguishes the wild berry from the cultivated one. The spirit is fruity, juicy, and edgy, yet remains surprisingly delicate on the tongue despite its 40% vol.

The wild raspberry is smaller than its garden relative and has a distinctly more tart-sweet flavor. Less fruit pulp, more aroma – which is why the effort of gathering them is worth it in the first place.

Botanically, the raspberry belongs to the rose family, just like the strawberry, quince, and apple. Anyone who compares the Bremen spirits side by side will find this family connection surprisingly often – half Romania and half Northern Germany, yet the same plant family.

Chilled after a meal, cold in sparkling wine

Served slightly chilled in a small glass, the berry opens up without the alcohol overpowering it.

After a summer meal, it is the obvious choice for a finale, as it is with chocolate cake or a bowl of fresh berries. A splash in sparkling wine makes an aperitif for which you would otherwise need syrup, and in winter, it warms up a punch without making it sweeter. The spirit likes the cold: poured over sorbet, in a punch, or alongside a scoop of lemon ice cream.

It also works in the kitchen, for example in berry compote or over a rack of venison, where raspberry and game have always paired well. As a gift, it is perfect for anyone who enjoys fruit spirits and has previously only known raspberries as jam. If you are looking for clear fruit in a pear variety, reach for the Williams Pear Brandy.

Two and a half kilos of berries for a single liter

Although raspberries contain sugar, their aromas are so delicate that they would be lost in a fermentation tank – which is why this is a spirit (Geist) and not a brandy (Brand).

For this purpose, the berries are macerated in neutral alcohol until it has fully absorbed their aroma. This is followed by a gentle distillation, using as little heat as possible. This is precisely the difference between a Geist and a Brand: the former preserves a volatile aroma, while the latter extracts it from fermented mash. Both are craft terms with clear meanings, not marketing words.

It is not a high-yield process. For 1 liter of this spirit, 2.5 kg of wild raspberries must be picked, and with wild berries, "picked" really means picked by hand, in the forest. Wild gathering cannot be planned like a harvest, which is why quantity and vintage fluctuate – a point that Birgitta Schulze van Loon accepts with every wild-harvested spirit.

After distillation, only soft Bremen water is added, nothing else. You can find the entire range at Piekfeine Brände, and the nutty side of the house is showcased by the Hazelnut Spirit.