Edel.stoff Zirbe 24 by Harry Albel

Edel.stoff Zirbe 24 is an Austrian herbal liqueur built on Swiss stone pine, the Alpine Zirbe, bottled at 30% by Harry Albel. Only carefully selected stone pine cones from the Austrian Alps are used, their valuable essential oils gently extracted by a process the maker developed, which gives the liqueur its characteristic resinous, spicy character. The stone pine is the whole identity here, an Alpine speciality that reads of mountain wood rather than the bittersweet herb blends more common to the category.

The nose is an intense aroma of stone pine with resinous, slightly sweet wood notes and subtle hints of herbs, the palate full bodied, spicy and aromatic with a clear resinous structure, a subtle sweetness and a balsamic character, finishing long, gently resinous and warming with a fine nutty nuance. Behind the bar it works as an aromatic, lightly sweet Alpine modifier, adding resinous pine and a balsamic depth to a stirred or spirit forward drink. It is best taken neat at room temperature or slightly chilled as a digestif after a savoury meal, and pairs well with chocolate, vanilla ice cream or apple based desserts.