🥃 Fennel
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a carrot-family plant whose dried fruits, rich in anethole, flavour anise drinks, anisette and absinthe, alongside common anise and star anise.
Most people know fennel seed from the kitchen, but in spirits it is one of three plants that EU law names directly for anise drinks, alongside common anise and star anise. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) belongs to the carrot family, and its dried fruits, the so-called seeds, have a sweet anise aroma. The main aromatic substance in all three plants is anethole.
Sweet and bitter. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) assesses two varieties separately: sweet fennel (var. dulce) and bitter fennel (var. vulgare). The fruits of sweet fennel are traditionally used for mild stomach and intestinal cramps, bloating and coughs during colds.
In EU law. Category 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, anise-flavoured spirit drink, allows spirit to be flavoured with extracts of anise, star anise, fennel or another plant with the same main aroma, from 15% ABV. The category "anis" (category 28) may take its flavour only from anise, star anise or fennel.
In absinthe. Florence fennel, together with grand wormwood and green anise, forms the "holy trinity" of absinthe. The plants are steeped in spirit and distilled, usually in a copper still; the colourless distillate comes out at a strength slightly above 70% ABV, and the green colour comes from other herbs.
Why it matters to you. The fennel in a drink explains why anise drinks turn cloudy with water: anethole dissolves well in spirit but not in water. The medicinal properties of the plant do not make a drink containing it a medicine. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Raw material | dried fennel fruits (Foeniculum vulgare); the main aromatic component is anethole |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, categories 25 and 28 |
| Distillation method | maceration of the fruits in spirit and distillation (in absinthe, mostly in a copper still) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Fennel → kind of → 🌿 Anise spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- What is made from it
- 🥃 Hrvatska travarica, 🥃 Hrvatski pelinkovac, 🥃 Hierbas de Mallorca, 🥃 Ouzo of Thrace, 🥃 Ouzo of Kalamata, 🥃 Ouzo of Macedonia
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Related to
- 🥃 Aniseed-flavoured spirit drink, 🥃 Anis, 🥃 Absinthe
- Part of
- 🌿 Anise spirits
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Anise, 🥃 Caraway
Frequently asked questions
Are anise spirits always made only from anise?
No. EU law allows an anise flavour from star anise and fennel as well; all of them have anethole as the main aromatic substance.
Which part of fennel goes into spirits?
The dried fruits, often called seeds, which are steeped in spirit or distilled with it.
What is the holy trinity of absinthe?
Grand wormwood, green anise and Florence fennel, the three main plants of absinthe.
What is the difference between sweet fennel and bitter fennel?
They are varieties of one species: sweet is Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce, bitter is var. vulgare. EMA assesses each separately.
Why does an anise drink turn cloudy when you add water?
Anethole from anise, star anise and fennel dissolves in spirit; diluted with water, it separates into fine droplets.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Anis — Anis is an aniseed spirit (EU category 28) flavoured only by anise, star anise or fennel: from 35% ABV, natural flavourings only; in Slovenian also janeževec.
- 🥃 Ouzo of Thrace — Ouzo of Thrace (Ούζο Θράκης) is an EU protected name for ouzo from Greek Thrace (Xanthi, Rhodope, Evros): anise with a notable role for fennel seed, at least 37.5% ABV.
- 🥃 Caraway — A plant of the carrot family (Carum carvi); its dried fruits give caraway spirits (Kümmel) and aquavit their aroma, EU categories 23 and 24.
- 🥃 Aniseed-flavoured spirit drink — Category 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787: spirit of agricultural origin flavoured with anise, star anise or fennel; the taste of anise predominates; from 15% ABV.
Similar
Sources
- European Medicines Agency: Foeniculi dulcis fructus (sweet fennel, Foeniculum vulgare Mill. subsp. vulgare var. dulce) — EU herbal monograph, Rev. 1 (2024)
- European Medicines Agency: Foeniculi amari fructus (bitter fennel, Foeniculum vulgare Mill. subsp. vulgare var. vulgare) — EU herbal monograph, Rev. 1 (2024)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I as adopted (legislation.gov.uk): cat. 25 aniseed-flavoured spirit drink (anise, star anise, fennel or another plant with the same principal aromatic constituent; min. 15 %); cat. 28 anis
- Difford's Guide: Absinthe — how is absinthe made: grande wormwood, green anise and Florence fennel, 'the holy trinity'; maceration and redistillation in copper pot stills, distillate at just over 70 %
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)