The Nines Herbal Liqueur… Let’s Drink To Health!

Posted on September 10, 2023

The slogan – “Let’s drink to health”, which exists in many languages around the world, manifested as a result of a combination of alcohol and natural botanicals, which created a far more effective medicine and has been used as such for thousands of years.

There is no doubt that excessive alcohol is dangerous to health, yet some categories of alcohol were made with your health in mind.

Traditional Herbal Liqueur is a therapeutic preparation in which aromatic herbs and spices are placed in alcohol and steeped for some months. The liqueur allows complete extraction of the herb’s essential nutrients and forms the basis of many tonics used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The word “liqueur” is derived from the Latin word “liquefacere”, meaning “to make liquid.” They have been called balms, crèmes, elixirs, and oils and have been used over the centuries as medicines, tonics, love potions, and aphrodisiacs.

The discovery of the distillation of Herbal Liqueur is ascribed to a certain Arnaud de Villeneuve, a physician to the pope, a professor of medicine, an alchemist, and a monk, who lived during the late 13th century and was already using a maceration process to extract active ingredients and aromas from herbs and spices at that time.

The monk believes everything in the world comprises four essences – earth, fire, air, and water. Everything was considered to be a mixture of some or all of these four. Arnaud de Villeneuve tailored his Herbal Liqueur to achieve the four essences and was so impressed by the incredible properties of his new fiery liquid that he called it the fifth essence, hence the derivation of our English word: quintessence, meaning the ‘heart’ or the ‘core’. It was the firm belief of Raymond Lully, a student of de Villeneuve’s, and also a monk, that “so medicinal and life-restoring were these drinks, that their production was a divinely inspired gift from Heaven”.

One of the most famous practitioners of alcohol-based herbal remedies was the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, whose special recipe for intestinal worms was known as Hippocraticum Vinum. Hippocrates was making a crude form of vermouth in approximately 400 BC using local herbs in wine, but herbal infusions took on a whole new level of potency once Arnaud de Villeneuve, the Monk, discovered distillation.

The Nines is a Lithuanian national herbal liqueur made by a company known as MV Group. The name 999 comes from the number of different herbs and spices used in the formulation of this unique drink. There are 9 different herbs/flowers, 9 fruits/spices, and 9 roots, making up 27 ingredients in producing The Nines Herbal Liqueur.

The full recipe for The Nines is a secret but noticeable ingredients used in its production, including Ginger, Anise, Lemon, Cinnamon, Clove, Orange peels and Honey. After maceration and mixing, it is matured in the barrel for a few months so that the different flavours can intertwine into a whole.

Some of these herbs and spices have been used over centuries to treat ailments like the common cold, fever, respiratory disease and cough.

The Nines is a sophisticated liqueur. The bitter nuances cut the sweetness and balance the taste profile. There is a restrained and short alcohol burn with a spicy aftertaste on the mouth.

Drinking unmixed, on the rock or mixed in cocktails and beers is tasty.

It is important to mention here that abuse of alcohol is not only intoxicating but also dangerous to health, but moderate intake of The Nines Herbal Liqueur ensures the subtle supply of antioxidant punch to stay healthy.