Blackcurrant nectar

Van Nahmen Black Currant Nectar, garnet red

The Black Currant Nectar from van Nahmen is a fruit nectar made from black currant juice, water, and sugar, with one-third fruit in the glass. Garnet red with black highlights, the fragrance is of ripe berries and mulberries, and the taste is sweet yet finely tart.

Black Currant Nectar is a fruit nectar from the van Nahmen fruit press, pressed in Hamminkeln in the Lower Rhine region from black currants, which are called cassis in French. Water and sugar are added to the juice, tempering the intensity of the berry without compromising its unique character.

When pouring, you first notice the color: a garnet red that leans almost to black at the edge of the glass and lights up again when held against the light.

Ripe berry, mulberry, and a sharp acidity

The scent of ripe black currant leads the way, followed by a darker note reminiscent of mulberry. On the tongue, the sweetness arrives first, followed by the acidity, which lingers the longest.

In this berry, the aroma resides in the skin, which is why it is pressed skin and all. This is also the source of the spicy undertone of leaf and shrub that gives the cassis an advantage over all other berries.

The red currant is its brighter relative; its acidity is upfront and its juice remains clear. The black takes a different path, denser and darker, with a subtle bitterness in the background, which is precisely what carries the nectar.

As a spritzer with tomato sauce, or neat with dark chocolate

It should be poured into the glass at 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, significantly warmer than most juices. Take the bottle out of the refrigerator a good twenty minutes before serving, otherwise the aroma will remain closed.

Half nectar, half water makes a spritzer that pairs surprisingly well with pasta in tomato sauce and stuffed peppers, as the berry acidity takes the edge off the tomato. Served neat, it belongs with pancakes and anything containing dark chocolate.

The Morellenfeuer Cherry Juice is similarly dark and sophisticated. The currant appears with a sparkle in the Apple Currant Raspberry Fruit Secco, and you can find the entire range among the van Nahmen nectars.

A berry that gives its all in July

Black currants hang in clusters on the bush and are harvested as whole bunches in July because the individual berry can hardly be detached from the stem without bursting.

The result is a juice of great density, with so much acidity and tannin that it is barely drinkable on its own. This is precisely why this fruit is almost always encountered in a tamed form. In Burgundy, it is made into Crème de Cassis, which gives a glass of white wine its Kir, while at van Nahmen, it is made into nectar.

How van Nahmen handles individual varieties and what else goes into their bottles is told in the portrait of the fruit press.

A splash in the red cabbage

Once opened, the 750 ml bottle will keep in the refrigerator for about five days. Add two tablespoons to a glass of cold sparkling water, garnish with a slice of lime, and your afternoon is set. And anyone braising red cabbage should stir a splash into the pot to give the vegetable color and freshness in one go.