No 455 German spruce shoots

The young, light green shoots of the spruce, which must not be longer than the phalanx of the little finger and which are also known as "Maiwipferl" because of their growth mainly in May, were picked by hand by our farmer in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and macerated by us immediately. From then on, patience is required, because experience shows that a particularly long maceration is very beneficial for the spirit of the young spruce shoots. This is because the essential oil components predominant in the young sprouts (non-oxidized terpenes) take longer to dissolve under the maceration conditions we have chosen - necessary for the extraction of the full range of constituents. Because only what has been removed from the needles can also go into the distillate during the subsequent distillation. But the wait has more than paid off: the freshly macerated sprouts have resulted in an extraordinary, green-fruity to fresh-spicy and forest-scented distillate with hints of lemon, which has matured significantly through storage and has gained in complexity. By harvesting the sprouts shortly after sprouting, the proportion of the oxidized monoterpene ester bornyl acetate with its very strong spruce aromas is not yet as pronounced and the notes of non-oxidized monoterpenes such as a- and b-pinene and limonene are more prominent, which responsible for the aroma characteristics mentioned above. But enough of the gray theory, the proof of the pudding is in the studying: so let's get to it, dear mixologists, chefs and other creative people.