Switzerland: The Cherry and the Still

How does a fruit with a two-day shelf life become one of Switzerland's great protected exports? Why does the finest kirsch come not from Germany's Black Forest but from a small lake-side canton in Central Switzerland? And why does a splash of cherry brandy hold a bowl of molten cheese together at every Swiss dinner table?

Join John and Patrick as they trace the story of kirsch — from wild cherries in the forests of Central Europe, through the Chriesimärt of Zug and the founding of Etter in 1870, to the almond note hidden in every glass and the layered indulgence of the Zuger Kirschtorte. Along the way: distillation, terroir, blossoming orchards on the slopes above Lake Zug, and the tale of a spirit that turns a single Alpine spring into something that can travel the world in a bottle.

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