Officially the 100th post! For this milestone I wanted to introduce Almdudler, an Austrian soda created in 1957 by Erwin Klein. Almdudler was originally made with apple and grape juice with a variety of herbs. It is often referred to as the Austria's national drink because of it's popularity. In addition to regular Almdudler there are other variants which include: sugar free, non-carbonated and a "Radler" version, which means it is mixed with beer, known as Alradler. The name Almdudler is derived from the saying, "auf der Alm dudeln," meaning "singing in the Alpine meadows."
My first encounter with Almdudler occurred on a trip to Vienna in 2009 when I purchased a bottle from one of the street vendors near Opernring. I often drink ginger ale sodas and based on the appearance I thought it was a ginger ale, but was a bit surprised by it's taste. To be fair... it's not far from ginger ale and is often compared to ginger ales or elderflower based drinks. The taste was just a little bit odd at first but I quickly took to it. Almdudler has a light ginger-ale like basal quality but is tinged wit a flowery essence. Because I was unsure of the nature of the drink I translated the words at the bottom of the label reading "aus natürlichen Alpenkräutern" which translates to "from natural alpine herbs." It's descriptive yet cryptic enough to protect their secrets.
I was able to purchase some glass bottles of Almdudler online once I returned home. They have uniquely shaped bottles but what impresses me most, like similar bottles, is a nice thick heavy glass which I find seems to add something of a tactile quality to a beverage. The scent is ethereal but a tad herbal. You'll find the flavor a tad sharper, or bitter, than a ginger ale but just like ginger ale it's carbonation and herbs are good for digestion and settling the stomach. If you enjoy ginger ale, you'll certainly want to try this. If you aren't able to travel to Austria to drink a bottle in the crisp autumn air, then find some to mail order online. While you could enjoy this soda with practically any food, it's probably best as a palate cleanser and digestive aid with an authentic Austrian meal, perhaps a schnitzel or gulasch, or a number of their wild game based dishes.
2 comments:
Where were you able to purchase online? I have been looking for Almdudler since we got back from Europe a couple of weeks ago. I fell in love with this drink! But, I only want it in the glass bottle not the can or plastic bottles.
Deb: Yes, it was a great discovery on my travels. The glass bottles are always preferable, but harder to find. On the street in Austria I only saw plastic bottles but yes I was able to get glass bottles by mail order in the states. Check out sodapopstop.com. Here's a direct link: http://www.sodapopstop.com/products/detail.cfm?link=311
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