Schwartzhog 

A wild herbal liqueur called Schwartzhog! Schwartzhog is a German Krauter (herbal) liqueur, carefully crafted and finally approved in the US in 2008 ( LocalWineEvents.com, 2009). This spirit is contained in a dark green bottle with gold-trimmed labels. The design is elegant and catches the eye. The black wild boar (Schwartzhog) icon on the front draws significant attention along with the unique font. First, the liqueur has strong hints of ginger and root. It also has small hints of orange and lemon as well. It smells similar to its well-marketed competitor, Jagermeister. Schwartzhog smells sweeter, with more hints of fruit. We will taste this herbal liqueur in three ways. The first way will be what Schwartzhog calls Shoot the Hog. This is just a straight shot, ice-cold. Wow! What a rush! This liqueur is very full and rich with flavor! It is very smooth across the tongue and on the way down the hatch. As it first hits the tongue, you get a strong taste of the root and ginger. As you begin to ingest the spirit further, you taste a large group of fruit. As compared to its competitor Jagermeister, there is not as much black-licorice (anise) taste; Schwartzhog seems to have more fruitiness to it. Second, we will try Schwartzhog mixed with cola, as if it were a cocktail. When combined in a 1:3 ratio, Schwartzhog to cola, the root and ginger of the liqueur keep their presence. The fruits, both orange and lemon, still exist on the exit. Either way, this is a good combination. The last way we will try this wonderful Schwartzhog is.....drumroll please.....a "bomb!" Schwartzhog calls it a Hog Bomb but they create it in the form of a cocktail in a highball glass. We will use a power-bomb cup. This is the most tasty, energy drink-based liqueur bomb I have ever had. The flavor is just as wonderful as when the liqueur is enjoyed straight but when combined with the energy drink, it offers a large burst of flavor for the taste buds. The ginger and root flavors somewhat disappear but the fruit flavors are very rich. This liqueur can be used in different cocktails, ranging from energy drink cocktails, to shots, to a wonderful modification of a popular cocktail that Schwartzhog calls a Hogarita (Schwartzhog.com, 2009). In conclusion, this liqueur has a lot to offer. The presentation, overall flavor and options for recipes give this German herbal liqueur a large bang-for-your-buck. Schwartzhog can be found ranging from $15.49--$19.99/750mL/ in 36.7%ALC/VOL. When this was purchased, Schwartzhog was offering a $10 Mail-In Rebate after your purchase, one per household. The value of this liqueur is outstanding and it offers wonderful flavors. The best way this could be enjoyed is with an energy drink in the form of a power-bomb. The only disadvantage is that this is not how the liqueur was intended to be enjoyed (straight, ice-cold). Choose what works best for you! Schwartzhog is a strong opponent to Jagermeister and offers many different qualities that make it a wonderful liqueur for any occasion!\