On Thursday and Friday, July 16-17, ninety influential bartenders and media guests joined Jägermeister at the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans to view Jägermeister’s month long exhibit and enjoy a meal, dinner on the 16th and lunch on the 17th, prepared by the museum’s restaurant, Purloo.

Attendees at both events enjoyed delicious cocktails (see below for recipe) from the master team of bartenders, including Camine Potenza, Andy Seymour, Sean Kenyon, and Ivy Mix. German bartender Nils Boese then introduced Dr. Berndt Finke, Jägermeister’s master herbalist.

Finke explained the complex maceration process that goes into creating Jägermeister and broke it down into its five stages. Guests were able to taste the different components of the product, including the “base”, followed by star anise, citrus, ginger, and the bitter component. Finke also led a macerate tasting that paired Jägermeister’s ingredients with various dishes.

The Boldly Go

The Boldly Go

Created by Carmine Potenza

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Jägermeister
• 1 1/2 oz. Cardamaro
• 3/4 oz. Old Tom Gin
• 1 Orange Peel

Preparation: Combine Jägermeister, Cardamaro and Hayman’s Old Tom Gin in a mixing glass. Add plenty of ice. Stir to chill. Express orange peel into coupe. Strain contents of mixing glass through julep strainer into coupe.

The Calm Before

The Calm Before

Created by Andy Seymour

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Jägermeister
• 1 1/2 oz. Rye Whiskey

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Pour into coupe glass and garnish with wide lemon twist.

Flor Hispopo

Flor Hispopo

Created by Sean Kenyon

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Jägermeister
• 1 oz. Casamigos Blanco
• 1/2 oz. Giffard Apricot
• 2 dashes of Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters

Preparation: Stir ingredients in mixing glass and build over large format ice cube. Garnish with hyssop flower and serve in old fashioned glass.

Leaving the Quarter

Leaving The Quarter

Created by Andy Seymour

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Jägermeister
• 1 oz. Fresh Lemon
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 Whole Strawberry
• Fresh Mint, Basil or Sage

Preparation: Muddle strawberry with simple syrup, add herb and muddle lightly. Combine remaining ingredients in shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain over crushed ice and garnish with chosen herb and/or strawberry.

Sealed Deal

Sealed Deal

Created by Ivy Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Jägermeister
• 1/2 oz. Del Maguey Vida
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 oz. Maple Syrup
• Dash Angostura
• Champagne, to Top
• Orange Twist, for Garnish

Preparation: Shake, strain into a coupe, top with Champagne. Garnish with an orange twist.

Purloo’s Chef Ryan Hughes created a bespoke five-course menu for the Spirited Dinner, three courses of which were then replicated for the Media Luncheon. Each course was paired with a specialty cocktail crafted by one of the guest bartenders. At the beginning of each course, Chef Ryan Hughes introduced the dish explaining how Jägermeister’s ingredients inspired him, followed by each guest bartender explaining his signature cocktail and why it paired so well with the course.

Jägermeister has a rich history as an herbal liqueur. The brand’s name and trademark derive from the legend of the patron saint of hunters, St. Hubertus. As legend has it, while on a hunt, the wild and unrestrained hunter Hubert was moved to devote his life to good work after he was confronted by a white deer carrying an illuminated cross between his antlers. It is this story that inspired the prominence of the stag on the Jägermeister label and in the poem around the label. While perhaps better known as a party shooter than a cocktail ingredient, Jägermeister’s presentation at the Spirited Lunch and Dinner made it infinitely clear that the liqueur is a sophisticated, modern mixer as well.