Underberg(?)

[thikasabrik]

In the pub at the weekend we discussed those little brown bottles fastened to a bandolier that all pubs seemed to sell at one time. Were they called Underberg? I seem to remember it was pretty disgusting stuff. My questions are: can you still buy it, what was it made from and what was the point of it? (One of our group seemed to think it was a hangover cure).

Cheers!

[Sequin]

It was sold as a hangover cure, when in fact it was almost pure alcohol with a few herbs infused in it!

More a hair of the dog

[Pinotage]

An interesting item by Jancis Robinson about using bitters to alleviate hangovers

Since Adam (or perhaps Cain) started drinking fermented broth everyone has known that the guaranteed prophylactic for the effects of alcohol are the bitters.' What he wants us all to take instead of milk thistle are things like wormwood, the strongest of coffees, hops, gentian root, chicory root, dandelion root, angostura, centaury and cinchona bark. The general rule seems to be if it tastes quite disgustingly bitter, it will do the trick. 'A strong hit with a bitter just before a meal/tasting will prime up the digestive apparatus (hence "aperitif") and after a meal will salvage it (hence "digestif")'.

I haven't tried this yet as my general instinct is to avoid gustatory pain. But my new herbalist friend assures me that Underberg bitters are extremely effective (it seems strange to take something containing alcohol to counter its effects, but he says you just need a sip to get the system going). Presumably Fernet Branca and angostura do the same thing.

Full item here - http://www.jancisrobinson.com/winenews/jr400
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[mfewell]

I can vouch for Underberg. If you have the sort of hangover that sits ghastly on the stomach, and provided you can take the entire day off, a single Underberg in the morning will sort the problem - but extremely alcoholic (? 86 proof)

[jacko50]

i have drank many an underburg in fact i have some in the cupboard now i bought it in berlin ,you can drink it before a big meal or after a big meal it is to ease your digestion ,also it is used for hangovers and it works well but it tastes awful .when i was in germany with the locals we had to take the top off ,put the bottle neck in your mouth and tip it back and swallow the lot in one go.

[Xollob]

From *********:

"In Rhineberg at the Lower Rhine, Hubert Undenberg invented the recipe for his world-famous Bitter in 1846. The mixture is a family-secret. Decendants of Hubert Undenberg still run the company, in the fourth generation, today. Underberg is produced from noblest herbs (coming from 43 countries), pure well-water and high percentage-alcohol. The herbs are macerated warmly in pure wine-spirit for a few weeks before treated any further, which means, they are placed in water and pass their aroma-substances. The lavish production-procedure ends in a long ripening process inoak barrels. This storage time gives anough time, that the herbs can open their active substances. Alcohol content: 44 %. About one million of portion-bottles, covered in straw paper are filled up daily and sent in unmixable green boxes to the whole world."

When I first came to live in Germany over 20 years ago, you could often see what looked like ammunition belts with small bottles of Underberg behind every bar. They were often drunk as digestifs after a hearty platter of artery-clogging grease and gristle. I don't know anyone who uses the stuff as a hangover cure, but maybe I'm not moving in the right circles.

Underberg is now a fairly rare sight, partly due to the decline in traditional German restaurants here. Most people tend to eat Italian, Greek or Turkish, in which case you tend to drink a grappa, ouzo or rakı afterwards. Another reason for the demise, of course, is the fact that Underberg is indeed pretty grim.

[Xollob]

Aaaarrrrggghhhh!
The link is http://www.ec�cktail.org/en/. 
Replace the degree sign with the letter "o".
Then say three Hail Marys for typing a naughty word.

[thikasabrik]

Thanks to all of you for taking the time and effort to reply. We all seem to agree that the stuff tastes foul! If I have a hangover I think I'll stick to my normal routine...a bacon sarnie, two paracetomol and a gallon of coffee. I could always avoid a hangover by not drinking in the first place....well, perhaps not.

[Buffalo1652]

I used Underberg during the late Sixties and early Seventies on visits to Germany and found it a very effective and speedy cure for Gippy Tummy. It can be obtained from various firms via the Internet.

[jiffy2007]

i first had underberg in a welsh pub over 23 yrs ago,i had not seen it anywhere since then ,untill 2 months ago while shopping at morrisons in norfolk. i have been visiting morrisons since in my own town and have a very good stock of underberg ,what a great hangover cure i have since got a few of my friends ,who are usually hungover with me at weekends ,to use the magic underberg,i hope you all tell morrisons that its worth selling this as i want to be able to keep my stocks plentyfull.

[Tigersimon]

I have used it for many years, having discovered it in Belgium. It is, at it says, 'Nach Gut Essen' - 'after a good meal'. It is a digestif, to relieve heartburn (gastric acid reflux). Nothing works as good as Underberg does - well, unless you fancy Gaviscon. I have never used it for a hangover - I never get to that state.