Who needs wine when you can sip Luxembourg's rich history in a glass of brandy?

It’s often said that French kings attacked Luxembourg to seize its mighty fortress and gain access to the iron mines that powered their military ambitions. But let’s be honest – perhaps they were just tired of sipping wine and champagne.

Maybe they fancied a change of scenery, a new flavour, or even a fresh toast to victory. Who can resist a bit of variety, even in conquest?

Luxembourgers have a long history of making spirits and brandy which they call drepp. It is also known as Schnaps in German, eau-de-vie in French, and brandewijn (brandy wine) in Dutch.

The lady of the house

Just as the butter and cheese were made by the lady of the house, so too was the brandy. The old records show that stills were of small capacity usually located in a corner of the domestic hearth. The ladies usually used fruit as the main ingredient in old-style stills.

Please pass the brandy

In a 1686 “Journal de Medecine” by Jean-Paul de La Roque (Abbé) the doctor notes that his patient who was sent to Luxembourg for work, “during which he was obliged to ride horseback incessantly, he drank two to three pints of [Luxembourgish] brandy a day…”. However, it was determined that this was not the cause of his illness.

Later in 1792, the Dutch troops who traveled through Belgium to Luxembourg found themselves with few rations. The journey the troops took is described in the book, "Description of the Field which was took against the French". One of the reasons for the scarcity of food and drink was that people living in small villages would not deal with non-Catholics, though they were there to help defend them. They referred to troops as “heathen” Lutherans.

The raise of taxes

During the first episode of the French occupation. The French king implemented a tax on 31 July 1702 which included high excise duty. Under French rule, distilling was considered an accessory to the cultivation of fruits and vines, not as a side hustle for the ladies of the house. Fortunately for Luxembourg only floury (grain) products were taxed, not the fruit brandies.

The brandy tax cat-n-mouse game:

Once Luxembourg began to gain its freedom, one of the first concerns of the Government of 1830 was to reduce the tax on homegrown liquor. The laws of 1833 and 1837 regularized the situation. Initially, this went well.

Then came the accession of the Grand Duchy to the Customs Union. The Customs Union required the publication of new tax laws, on 16 October 1842. The tax on the large-scale manufacture of brandies from floury substances could not fall below the Prussian rate.

The unfortunate side effect of the Customs Union meant that the housewives who made extra money distilling Brady from fruits, grape marc, and other non-floury substances were now also being taxed. The taxes included brandy made from stone fruits, wines, cider, and Perry. There were additional taxes on brandy made from pome fruit marc, berry fruits, wine lees, and grape marc.

Nevertheless, the Ladies of Luxembourg were still producing on a small scale. In 1863, Diekirch, Echternch, Grevenmacher, and Remich, had 270, 294, 319, and 377 stills. Brandy made from fruits was the most common. They needed ingredients that were not on the tax lists.

So, they started using beetroot. The laws were then amended and supplemented to include the distillation of beetroot. The ladies then added molasses and/or sugar to their ingredient lists. But the degree of 1872, set the duty on the distillation of molasses. The law of 1874, added beet juice, syrupy molasses, or sugar.

It seems that the French law of 1702 set off a cat-and-mouse game of tax avoidance that lasted over 200 years. Today, stills can make liquor out of almost any edible.

An ode to Luxembourgish brandy… from Arlon:

I will leave you with one last bit of history, a recipe! Until relatively recently, Arlon and the Province of Luxembourg in modern Belgium were a part of the Duchy of Luxembourg. We can see that Arlon also participated in the imbibing of Luxembourgish Drepp.

If you like Cherry Drepp it can be complemented with chocolate, bourbon, or vanilla.

A simple cocktail

Find a highball glass and fill it with ice. Pour in…

• 15ml (1/2 oz) Cherry Schnapps
• 30ml (1 oz) Vodka
• a splash Grenadine
• pink lemonade
• and a cherry for garnish

Mix it and enjoy!