Gin & Food

With Black Forest ham, a gin with strong forest notes works better than a purely citrus-driven one. The ham has held protected geographical indication status since 1997. It may only come from the region and must be cold-smoked over fir and spruce wood using the traditional method. The resinous notes in the glass pick up the ham's smoke instead of fighting against it.

Black Forest trout also pairs well with a Gin and Tonic, whether before or after the meal. It's usually poached ("blau") or pan-fried "Müllerin" style. The light acidity of the tonic balances the fish's mild fat without overpowering its delicate flavor.

Heartier dishes like Schäufele with potato salad, or a Flammkuchen from the wood oven, call for a gin with enough weight of its own. This is where botanicals like lingonberry or spruce shoots in the Black Forest really earn their place—holding their ground alongside hearty food instead of getting lost in it.

Anyone taking the region's cuisine seriously tries gin not as a substitute for Kirschwasser, but alongside it. Both come from the same forests and the same craft tradition, yet taste in opposite directions: one fruity and clear, the other spiced and complex.

A glass of gin alongside the plate remains the exception in the Black Forest, not a fixed ritual like the glass of Kirschwasser after coffee. That's exactly what makes the pairing on the menu still such a rarity. Anyone who tries it anyway often discovers a new side to familiar dishes.