How a German-Style Peppermint Liqueur Became a Bartender’s Handshake (and Mouthwash)

When the modern cocktail renaissance kicked off in the early aughts, it came with a newfound appreciation for long-ignored liqueurs and amari, many of which have since become common cocktail ingredients. Likewise, some of these bottlings have become “bartender’s handshake shots.” These pours are generally reserved for bitter, polarizing liquids that industry folks serve as a symbol of slightly sadistic, yet genuine camaraderie.

Even though these shots aren’t built to necessarily please, they carry the undeniable cool factor of being a nod of recognition between industry insiders. Yet, in the age of information, many classic handshake shots have lost their air of secrecy — so much so that some have even appeared on cocktail menus. Nevertheless, the handshake shot prevails, and there are plenty of obscure, esoteric spirits that have recently entered the canon.

As is the case with Chicago’s infamous Malört shot, many handshake shots are regionally-specific, but others seemingly come out of nowhere. If there’s one that falls into the latter camp, it’s Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps.

Rumple Minze — often shortened to “Rumple” — has become an under-the-radar oddball of a handshake shot in select markets across the country recently. Unlike historic ingredients such as Fernet-Branca and Angostura bitters, Rumple Minze is a relative newcomer to the drinks space, having only first hit the scene in the ‘80s. It also isn’t bitter, but it certainly delivers on face-contorting flavor.

Rumple Minze is extremely minty. It’s so minty, in fact, that it has the nickname “the bartender’s mouthwash” in some circles.

So how did this peculiar product become an adored, if obscure, shooter beloved by bartenders and dive bar drinkers alike?

What Is Rumple Minze?

Rumple Minze is a German liqueur brand owned by Diageo. Although the brand offers several expressions, including lime- and berry-flavored liqueurs, the name has become synonymous with its peppermint schnapps. All Rumple Minze products are produced at the Scharlachberg Distillery in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Indiana’s Paddington Corporation (now Paddington Brands, LLC) began importing Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps in 1981 amid the boom of schnapps-heavy disco-era drinks in the U.S. Alongside the likes of Fuzzy Navels and Harvey Wallbangers, this period saw the genesis of some mint-forward drinks like the Grasshopper, for which most bartenders reached for crème de menthe or modestly proofed schnapps brands like DeKuyper and Hiram Walker. Rumple Minze, on the other hand, clocks in at 50 percent ABV.

Although the brand initially struggled to find its audience, Rumple Minze embraced its burly ABV in the late ‘80s and launched a series of magazine print ads framing the peppermint schnapps as an edgy, hardcore alternative to its competitors.

From the tail end of the ‘80s through the early ‘90s, the brand bought ad placements in men’s magazines like Playboy depicting a female warrior riding a polar bear and wielding a sword. One such ad even described the liqueur as “Primal Peppermint Schnapps.” While these ads didn’t necessarily boost Rumple Minze’s credentials as a cocktail ingredient, they helped the liqueur separate itself from schnapps’s cloyingly sweet reputation. Essentially, Rumple Minze became the Arnold Schwarzenegger of peppermint schnapps.

How Did Rumple Minze Become a Bartender’s Handshake Shot?

As cocktail culture evolved and schnapps largely drifted to the dusty corners of the nation’s back bars, Rumple Minze found footing in the on-premise as a standalone shot to kick off or end a night.

“I would say in a lot of dive bars Rumple Minze is a pretty common shot,” says Sam Park, longtime Rumple Minze enthusiast and head bartender at Richmond, Va.’s L’Opossum. “Where I live, it’s either FireBall or Rumple. I find that Fernet is popular, too, but in more high-end spaces.”

Exactly when or how the schnapps ascended to insider shot status is hard to pinpoint, but as Park points out, these sorts of phenomena happen organically and largely depend on regional subcultures.

“Every community has their own little micro pocket of regulars that influence what their friends drink,” he says. “Chicago’s got Malört. For me, I go to my local dive and get a PBR and a shot of Rumple Minze for six bucks.”

According to a Reddit thread polling bartenders on their regional handshakes, Rumple is also popular in other cities across the South and Midwest. In response to the prompt, user ElectroExpress noted, “Texas. San Antonio here. Fernet at most cocktail bars, but [at] the majority of dives and regular speed bars it’s Rumple Minze.” Another user, Meerschaum-man, claims that Rumple Minze is on the rise in Arkansas. “Around my town it’s still Fernet or Chartreuse, but Rumple Minze is becoming a contender.”

Odd as Rumple Minze may be, it does check every box of general handshake-shot criteria. It’s obscure and largely unknown by the general public; it’s inexpensive; it’s popular in dives, where many bartenders end up post-shift; and most importantly, it’s polarizing and potent as all hell.

“When I think about all the handshake shots out there, Rumple is just more hardcore,” Park says. “If you sit next to someone at a bar and they take four shots of Rumple Minze in one sitting, they’re pretty seasoned. Not everyone can handle that.”

While it’s gained status as a bartender’s handshake in some circles, in others Rumple has a more peculiar reputation: bartender’s mouthwash. As strange as that may seem, there is a certain — albeit very service-industry — rationale.

It’s not uncommon for bartenders to drink a shot or two during a shift. Often, that might be with a guest or visiting industry professional. Occasionally, though, the shot will be consumed covertly, outside of the gaze of guests or management. In order to not raise suspicions, booze that smells minty fresh is just what the doctor (or dentist) ordered.

“Rumple Minze is called ‘the bartender’s mouthwash’ for a reason,” as another Reddit user noted in a separate thread on bartender’s handshakes.

*Photo retrieved from @drinkrumpleminze via Instagram

The article How a German-Style Peppermint Liqueur Became a Bartender’s Handshake (and Mouthwash) appeared first on VinePair.