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Kümmel

Kümmel is a sweet, colourless liqueur flavoured with caraway seed, cumin, and fennel. Kümmel  has quite a complex flavour due to the ingredients used and  is the key element  in the Royal Arrival cocktail recipe.

Although Kümmel is not commonly known or ordered in the UK it was actually the best-selling liqueur in Britain before the Second World War. Historians generally agree that Kümmel was first distilled in Holland in the late 16th century and it was then brought to Russia and Germany where it became increasingly popular. Today, the majority of Kümmel is produced in Russia.

Kümmel is often drank as an after dinner liqueur, so essentially as a digestif. The best way to drink Kümmel is very, very chilled. Kümmel can be drunk on the rocks but is often drank neat in a small liqueur class, partly due to its strength – its ABV is typically 39%. The liqueur is also popular in cocktail making due to its very unusual and complex flavours. It is also occasionally used in cooking, again, for its unique flavour profile.

Kümmel pops up in several novels ad movies of the mid-20th century, which helps to emphasize its widespread popularity around this time. An SS officer knocks back a glass of Kümmel after a scary incident in the F.Paul Wilson novel The Keep. In the James Bond novel, Goldfinger by Ian Flemming, the liqueur is mentioned in relation to golf. The drink also pops up in more contemporary works, such as “The Hellfire Club” by Peter Straubb.