Stone pine liqueur
Zirbenlikör , Zirbengeist or schnapps are spirits , by pins of Zirbelkiefer were grafted.
They are made in the Alpine countries , especially in Austria , because it is there that the Swiss stone pines grow in the high mountains above an altitude of around 1500 m.
Manufacturing method
There are several variants of production:
Production of stone pine liqueur
The red pine cones, which are still in full sap, i.e. not yet lignified, are collected in summer between the end of June and mid-July. Harvesting is laborious, as the stone pine cones can only be picked by hand. Stone pines are protected in some areas, the cone harvest is not allowed there. To make it, the stone pine cones are cut into slices about three to five millimeters wide and soaked in grain brandy for about five to six weeks . Since the grain brandy has a lower inherent taste than fruit brandy , you get a pure stone pine taste. During this time, the glass must be shaken from time to time. The substances pass into the schnapps through maceration . The then brown liquid is filtered through a coffee filter or a sheet to remove the sediment . Finally, sugar, rock candy or honey is added to soften the tart taste. To prevent the sugar from settling, it has to be stirred more often.
Production of stone pine spirit
Instead of filtering and adding sugar, you can burn the liquid and get the stone pine spirit.
There is also a variant for the production of stone pine with woody cones, from October onwards the woody cones are collected and the kernels are loosened, crushed, mixed with schnapps and burned directly. As a result, only the essential oils with their natural aromas are carried away during the burning process and you get a crystal clear stone pine spirit with a strong stone pine aroma.
use
Stone pine liqueur is used against bronchial colds because of the essential oils it contains .
Zirbengeist is used both to rub in painful limbs to accelerate the regeneration process of the muscles and as a stimulant .
source
- Michael Machatschek: The stone pine - fruit tree among the conifers - about the use of stone pine cones , in: Der Alm- und Bergbauer, 11/99, pp. 18-20, online (PDF; 156 kB)