St. Hubert --- and Cocktails?

On the feast day of a saint conspicuous here in Bavaria! You see him all over the place -- even on the door of Kevvy and Ina's wood stove! Seeing as we are a family with six sons who like anything and everything manly, St Hubert is one of our family favorites. But, before I get into the nutshell story of his life, I have to clear up something up that I had wondered about. 

This beverage:

Have you ever seen a bottle of Jaegermeister?  It bears the symbol of a cross suspended between the antlers of a deer on the label.  The symbol of St. Hubert! Curious, huh?

St. Hubert, as it turns out, merited the title of one of the four holy Marshals of the Rhineland (a German subset, so to speak of the 14 Holy Helpers),  and so, as  Jaegermeister was developed  and manufactured

in  Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, the symbol  of St. Hubert's stag was natural for a logo in a nation that has traditionally valued heroic and pious men. At least in the early 1930s when this herbal liqueur first hit the market, it was a good marketing strategy. Hopefully, it still is

 I've tasted Jaegermeister, and maybe it's because I'm not a hunter or I'm too far from my German roots, or I'm female (?) but ... well, let's just say it's kinda weird tasting stuff. It's one of those tastes, you either like it or you don't. Ingredients include 56 herbs, fruits, roots, and spices, including citrus peel, *licorice*, anise, poppy seeds, saffron, ginger, juniper berries, and ginseng. It's , uh... unique. The story behind the symbol, I have to say, is my favorite thing about this alcoholic drink. 

This antlers and cross motif originates in the story of St. Hubert’s conversion. Hubert, a nobleman of Aquitaine, was a very worldly youth who was inordinately attached to the sport of hunting. One day, while Hubert was on the hunt in pursuit of an elusive stag, his target suddenly turned around and revealed, between its antlers, a brilliantly shining cross. 

The incident led to the conversion of the yet unbaptized Hubert, who became a catechumen and disciple of the bishop, St. Lambert, whom he ended up succeeding as bishop.

 Appropriately, St. Hubert is the patron of Christian huntsmen. Happy Feastday, hunters!!

The Church celebrates St. Hubert's feast on November third. Two orders of knighthood were established under his patronage, one of which had as its Grand-Masters the kings of Bavaria. A

With that in mind, cheers from beautiful Bavaria! Today would be the day to crack open some liquid licorice! 

A few fun things to do with Jaegermeister  if you are legal drinking age-- a couple I think I might actually like :

*German Vacation* 

(just like a real German vacation, this one needs advanced prep for unusual ingredients, but I couldn't resist the moniker

1 ounce Jägermeister

1 ounce gold rum (Flor de Caña 4-Year)

3/4 ounce ginger syrup

3/4 ounce orgeat syrup

3/4 ounce lemon juice (fresh)

3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients. In a cocktail shaker filled with crushed ice, pour the Jägermeister, gold rum, ginger and orgeat syrups, and lemon juice.

Shake well.

Strain over fresh pebble ice in a swizzle glass.

*The Inside Scoop/ Kicked-up Rootbeer Float*

Ingredients

1 spray Yellow Chartreuse

2 ounces Jägermeister (chilled)

4 ounces root beer (chilled)

1 scoop ice cream (vanilla)

3 dashes root beer bitters

Garnish: orange peel

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients. Spritz an old-fashioned glass with Chartreuse. Add chilled Jägermeister and root beer.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Dash the ice cream with root beer bitters.

Zest an orange peel over top of the drink

(Alternatively, skip the chartreuse and orange -- and just add a dash of jaegermeister to a rootbeer float!)

Serve and enjoy!

*Winter Warmer Mulled Sangria* (A twist on a holiday treat!)

Note that you will need to plan ahead when making this mulled sangria. The first step requires 3-7 days for the booze and fruit to marry and it is worth the wait!

Ingredients

1 bottle red wine

1 cup​​ Jagermeister Spice Liqueur

2 cups​ PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur

1 bag/12 ounces​ cranberries (fresh)

2 cups​ ​ ​pomegranate arils (about 2 pomegranates)

1 1/2 cups cranberry pomegranate juice

1 cup​ club soda

1​ sachet ​mulling spices

Steps to Make It

One Week Ahead: Mix the wine and liqueurs in a pitcher.Add the fruit, cover and let sit for 3-7 days.

When It's Time for the Party: Boil cranberry juice and club soda in a small saucepan.

Add a sachet of mulling spices and allow to sit hot for 15-30 minutes. If that isn't enough spiciness for you, you can also add a sachet to the finished pitcher for extra flavor.

Pour cooled, mulled juice mix into the original pitcher and stir to combine. Serve warmed or room temperature, being sure to include some of the boozy fruit!

* For really really enquiring minds that might wonder about this symbol -- and how it relates to both St. Hubert and St. Eustace, here is a thoughtful piece on the subject that I found interesting.