🥃 Topinambur

Topinambur is a rare cousin of fruit brandy, made not from fruit but from Jerusalem artichoke tubers, also called earth pear (Helianthus tuberosus), fermented and distilled. In EU law it is a separate category 14: only tubers, fermentation and distillation below 86% ABV. The bottle must contain at least 38% ABV. Adding other alcohol and flavourings is forbidden; caramel is allowed only for colour.

Raw material. The Jerusalem artichoke is a relative of the sunflower from North America, where it was grown long before Columbus; the tubers reached Europe via France. Instead of starch they store inulin, a carbohydrate from which fructose for the yeast forms during mashing. That is why the drink has an earthy, slightly nutty aroma.

Origin. The best-known spirit of this kind is German, especially from Baden-Württemberg, where the food control authority specifically lists Topinambur among regional spirits. In Baden it is also called Topi or Rossler, from the dialect term “horse potato”: the tubers were once fed to horses. Austrian distilleries also make it.

Rules. The 2008 regulation already had this category with the same minimum of 38% ABV. Today up to 20 g of sugar per litre is allowed, only to round off the taste. Unlike potato vodka, the drink keeps the aroma of its raw material, like a fruit distillate.

Why this matters to you. Topinambur is valued in the kitchen for its inulin, but that is no longer in the spirit: what remains is alcohol and aroma. Strength is at least 38% ABV. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and one should not drive after drinking a strong drink.