Food & Tradition

What is Rüdesheimer Coffee? A cup of strong coffee with Asbach Uralt and sugar, topped with a cap of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The brandy is flambéed right in the cup and stirred until the sugar dissolves; only then is the coffee added. Rüdesheim has its own special cups and coffee houses dedicated to it.

It's widely claimed that TV chef Hans Karl Adam invented the drink in 1957 as a promotional idea for Asbach Uralt. Since then, Rüdesheimer Coffee has become as much a part of the town as the Drosselgasse and the Niederwald Monument above the vineyards.

The Weinbrand chocolates also come from the house of Asbach. According to trade press reports, the company launched the first pralines filled with Weinbrand in 1924. These small chocolate pieces have remained a classic souvenir from the Rheingau ever since. Trade sources suggest that Hugo Asbach thought early on about what his Weinbrand would pair well with.

Weinbrand pairs well with sweet and bitter flavors: dark chocolate, nuts, cream, and pastries. In the Hessian cuisine along the Rhine, by contrast, Handkäse mit Musik — a sour milk cheese with onions — tends to be served, and that's more often paired with apple wine or Riesling than with a brandy.

The after-dinner digestif has a somewhat undeserved reputation as a digestive aid. In practice, the stomach actually takes longer to empty after alcohol, even after a small glass of brandy. The sense of well-being that follows is really just relaxation — and that, in fact, is the true role of the small glass at the end of the meal.