Barenjager and Old Krupnik - A Compairison of Two Honey Liqueurs

I have always been fascinated by honey-based spirits. I feel they carry a certain old-world charm and can impart a truly unexpected element to a cocktail that will keep your guests coming back for more. The first exposure I had to honey liqueur was, surprisingly enough, at Bennigan’s Restaurant. They had a drink on their cocktail menu called the Honey Apple, which combined two of my favorite liquors, sour apple schnapps and, though I didn’t know it at the time, honey liqueur, blended with ice and topped with a shot of blue Curacao. I loved it the first time I had it and made it my mission to learn how to make it at home. Thus began my love affair with honey liqueur, although I still have been unable to find Meade, the brand that Bennigan’s used in that delicious cocktail.

Old Krupnik is Poland’s stab at honey liqueur. It clocks in at 80 proof and is a pale yellow-gold color. The smell is quite flowery, like clover honey with loads of extra clover. The mouthfeel is thinner than most sweet liqueurs and it tastes very much like it smells, except it also tastes very alcoholic and it BURNS all the way down. For a honey liqueur this is not especially desirable, it is a harsh queen bee with stinger poised to strike, not a soft belly-warming friendly bumblebee. Old Krupnik gives descent character to a cocktail where the burn won’t be noticed, I like it with milk and Chambord or Crème de Cocoa.

Barenjager is the first honey liqueur I got my grubby mitts on and it remains my favorite. Although it’s more pricey than Old Krupnik ($30 as opposed to $15), Germany’s take on honey liqueur is well worth every penny. The bottle is charmingly designed like a beehive, wrapped in woven straw and topped with a plastic beehive bottlecap. The smell is like nothing more than rich, quality honey with the normal light floral scents that accompany said. The color is a rich, dark honey-gold and it pours as thick as warmed honey. The mouthfeel is equally thick and warming, but not even remotely burning or alcoholic tasting, a big difference seeing how its only 10 proof less than the Old Krupnik. I recommend drinking Barenjager (German for Bear Hunter) warm in a snifter. Barenjager is also my preferred choice for my own take on Bennigan’s Honey Apple.

And now, Connoisseur Tom’s Honey Apple:

2oz Granny’s Sour Apple Schnapps

1½ oz Barenjager

Blend with ice (More ice than I used…), pour into a chilled snifter, top with 1oz Blue Curacao and swirl slightly.

Enjoy!