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No offense against eggnog, but do you really want something that comes in a carton? It’s time to take your favorite holiday liqueur upscale, and this means advocaat.
“No other spirit is so mixable,” beams William Verpoorten, CEO of the eponymous Verpoorten GmbH & Co. in Heinsberg, Germany. “You can drink it on its own or in tall drinks or cocktails. You can mix it with coffee, and we even have the ‘Verpoorten Punch,’ made especially for the winter holiday season.”
Advocaat came about when colonial Dutch explorers, enthralled with an avocado-based drink made by South American natives, quickly came to realize that the Netherlands’ chilly climate was none too agreeable for avocados. Settling on an egg-brandy-sugar approximation of the original, Eugen Verpoorten began producing advocaat in 1876. Five generations of Verpoortens later, the recipe remains intact and has gone on to be a European staple.
While his liqueur is often praised for its rich, creamy texture and custard-like flavor, Verpoorten himself likes to boast about where his advocaat comes up short: No lactose. No milk proteins. No artificial colors. No thickeners. No stabilizers. No emulsifiers. No preservatives. No flavorings. No gluten…
…O.K., at this point, you may think that whatever it is Verpoorten is making, it must be practically insubstantial, but he says, and not with a little understatement, “More and more, Europeans are thinking organic.” Indeed, Verpoorten advocaat is entirely organic.
And something of a heavy hitter. If eggnog is the kiddie pool, advocaat is the white-water thrill ride – the 20 percent ABV will definitely rock you ‘round the Christmas tree if kicked back on an empty stomach. It is perhaps one of the reasons advocaat often finds itself in something other than a glass.
“Our advocaat is widely used in muffins,” notes Verpoorten. Also in cakes, puddings, mousse, compotes, milkshakes, waffles, pastries, as an ice cream topping, and, in a dessert made by champion chef Manfred Bacher, a pistachio sushi.
Coming with its own perkily contagious jingle, “Ei, Ei, Ei” (Egg! Egg! Egg!), Verpoorten advocaat now ships to over 30 countries, and is the most popular brand in the world. Best of all, it comes in a classy glass bottle. No cartons.