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LACASCARA: Premium aperitif made of the ‘cáscara’

This special product was created on the base of cáscara, grapefruit and raspberries. The Spanish name means ‘skin’, referring specifically to the skin of the red coffee berry. Centuries ago, cáscara was dried on coffee farms and drunk as tea; in modern coffee production, the pulp and skin remain unused – this could potentially create a mountain of around ten million tons of cáscara. It only gained approval as a novel food in 2022. Its use in this aperitif also has a social aspect, as coffee farms receive much-needed additional income.

Behind LACASCARA are Lisah Dietrich, who worked in marketing for many years, and Constantin Müller, owner of an advertising film agency and a camera rental company, and also a lecturer at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. They source the highest quality cáscara from Colombia and Peru from farms that have left cooperatives to market their own coffee. During the season, the best ripe coffee berries are picked by hand in 4 harvests, before being sorted and dried in the sun for over 40 days. The liqueur is then produced by hand in a small distillery, without artificial additives. Caffeine is only present in small amounts; one glass contains only one to two percent of the caffeine contained in a litre of cola. The taste of cáscara is reminiscent of rosehip, pomegranate and spicy honey. Perfect as a spritz, with tonic water, neat, or on the rocks. With a balance of fruitiness and a slight bitter note, a new, natural taste experience has been created that also meets the needs of an entire generation for high quality, sustainability and naturalness.

LACASCARA Premium Aperitivo won silver at the World Spirits Award.

Black Forest Distillers - Bavarian headdress, turbans and bowler hats

An adventurous past lies behind the "Monkey 47" gin: Montgomery Collins was born in 1909 in Madras and came to Berlin in 1945 as a Commander of the Royal Air Force where he became involved with re-developing the zoo and began sponsoring a monkey there named Max. During the 1950s, he opened a country guesthouse by the name of "Zum wilden Affen" (At the wild monkey's) where he began producing gin according to the British tradition.

The unusual recipe was discovered during renovation works and brought back to life by Alexander Stein from the Jacobi brandy dynasty and Master Distiller Christoph Keller. They describe the 47 ingredients as "Black Forest DNA". In addition to juniper berries, they include "spices" (coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon), "floral fragrances" (acacia, honeysuckle, bergamot and lavender blossom), "tangy flavours" (pomelo, lemongrass, lemon balm, etc.) and "Black Forest flavours" (spruce shoots, mallow, blackthorn, elderflower, dog rose and blackberry leaves). Cranberries add the final touch.

These "botanicals" are mixed with extra soft water from the company's own spring and alcohol and are partly macerated. This is followed by the distillation and steam extraction process using fresh plant material. The distillate is stored for a few months in traditional stoneware vessels and after the maturation period, spring water is added until the mixture reaches a strength of 47% vol.

The complex flavours are ideal for classics like Martini with tonic added to taste, as well as cocktails. The top quality of the products was confirmed by a gold medal at the World-Spirits Award.

Georg Hemmeter – XUXU, Escorial, SILLA EL FUERTE

Georg Hemmeter – strawberry drinks with exceptional flavour guaranteed

The name Georg Hemmeter – a company of the Underberg Group – stands for innovative spirits, in particular the XUXU range. The fresh and fruity strawberry drink contains 66 percent fruit plus crystal-clear vodka, rounded off with a dash of lime. The harmony between the sweetness of the fruit and just 15% alcohol by volume is created using a special production method. XUXU Ten, the little luxury in a 250 ml aluminium bottle with only 10% alcohol by volume, is dressed to party – it is still relatively new to the market, yet is already at home in all the world’s top party venues.
XUXU can be served in so many different ways: chilled, neat, on crushed ice, as a dessert topping, with sparkling wine or with other mixers – XUXU tastes heavenly and offers fresh and fruity pleasure. Welcome to Berrydise!

Initially the absolute top star in Greece, XUXU is now also number 1 in Russia, and extremely popular in Turkey and Italy too.


XUXU Strawberry & Vodka Drink and XUXU Ten won Gold at the World Spirits Award 2014.