Why ODE

Five decisions.
One aperitif.

ODE is an aperitif made with Riesling, 18.5% ABV. With two parts tonic and lots of ice it becomes a spritz of around 6%. What makes it taste different came down to five decisions.

At a glance.

Riesling

from Rheinhessen, from winemaker Nico Espenschied.

18.5%

ABV in the bottle. In the glass with tonic, around 6%.

0

artificial flavourings, artificial colourings, added preservatives.

9.5 g

sugar per 100 ml in Ruby Wood. Bright Lemon: 13.6 g.

01

Wine, not water.

Most aperitifs are built on water, and water tastes of nothing. ODE starts with Riesling from Nico Espenschied in Rheinhessen. It brings acidity, fruit and depth before anything else is added.

“The first drink over 15% vol. that I really enjoy.” Nico Espenschied, winemaker

02

Real fruit, not artificial flavourings.

Lemon tastes the same almost everywhere, because almost everyone uses the same flavouring. Bright Lemon contains seven kinds of lemon, including Amalfi and bergamot. We extract every fruit, every root and every wood separately in the ODE/LAB in Berlin, exactly when its aroma is at its strongest.

Before there was a recipe

650raw ingredients

we extracted and tasted one by one. Only then did work on the recipe begin.

03

Less sugar. Just as much flavour.

Sugar masks alcohol. We rely on wine and botanicals and so need less of it. The sweetness comes mainly from the wine, plus a little beet sugar from Germany. Bright Lemon has 13.6 g of sugar per 100 ml, Ruby Wood 9.5 g.

04

Bitterness from roots. Not from the lab.

Aperitif was once a bitter drink. Today the bitterness mostly comes from a lab. Ours comes from roots and barks such as gentian and cinchona, each extracted separately. That's why Ruby Wood is bold, fruity and bitter without tasting artificial.

05

Nothing stabilised. Hence the dark glass.

No artificial colourings, no added preservatives, no stabilisers. The colour comes from the ingredients and reacts to light, so dark glass protects it. The 18.5% ensures the wine doesn't start fermenting again. All the label has to declare is: sulphites. From the wine.

Short distances

What we do this way on purpose.

Beet sugar from Germany.

Cane sugar from overseas was out of the question because of the transport distances.
Riesling from Rheinhessen.

The essences are made in the ODE/LAB in Berlin.
Solid wood and cotton paper.

The sphere is turned in Germany, and the label is printed on cotton paper.