20 best Kummel cocktails

Fashions have changed, and kummel is now found in relatively few bars. However, it remains a classic cocktail ingredient that, due to its unique flavour, is overdue for a renaissance. Hopefully, the following cocktails will inspire you to mix with kummel.

After Hours
With: Dry gin, maraschino liqueur, kummel and orange bitters.
We say: Martini-like but with delicate liqueur richness. Lightly spicy and faintly nutty.

Alice Mine No. 2
With: Scotch whisky, kummel and rosso vermouth.
We say: You'll need to appreciate kummel to enjoy this long-lost classic.

Allies Martini
With: Dry gin, ambrato vermouth, kummel
We say: A Fifty-Fifty Martini with a touch of kümmel.

Bearskin Martini
With: Vodka, kummel and dry vermouth.
We say: A caraway-influenced Martini.

Berlin Sour
With: Kummel, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
We say: The sweet powerful flavours of kummel and maraschino liqueurs are tamed and harnessed in this sour.

Copper Bullet
With: Vodka, aromatized wine, and kummel.
We say: This spirit-forward herbal cocktail may lack a copper hue but it has the lethal potential of a bullet to inflict a killer blow.

Crystal Clear
With: Vodka, kummel, bergamot liqueur and birch water.
We say: Subtly citrusy and piney with delicate caraway. Clearly refined.

The Dante
With: Blanco tequila, Green Chartreuse, kummel liqueur, sugar syrup, and lime juice.
We say: Citrusy fresh and herbaceous, particularly caraway from the Kummel, with tequila providing the backbone.

Dutch Nemesis
With: Genever, kummel, pineapple syrup, lime juice, aromatic bitters, and sparkling wine.
We say: Kummel shines in this genever and pineapple sour.

The Herbalist
With: Dry gin, celery juice, kummel, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
We say: Kummel's herbal caraway flavours and botanical gin notes form the backbone of this citrusy celery cocktail.

High Kick
With: Scotch whisky, kummel and dry vermouth.
We say: Plenty of dilution is key to this caraway and Scotch-dominated cocktail from the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book.

Kingston
With: Aged rum, kummel, pimento dram, orange juice and lemon juices.
We say: Caraway (kummel) and pimento spice (allspice dram) shine in this aged rum sour.

Kummel Ye Faithful
With: Mezcal, peated malt whisky, kummel, Pedro ximénez sherry, and liquorice bitters.
We say: Created as a Christmas cocktail but great anytime of year when sat in a comfy chair beside a warming fire.

Martiki
With: Light rum, coconut water and kummel.
We say: Dry and Martini-like. Assertive kummel flavours pervade a punchy mix of rum and coconut water.

Mezcal Dante
With: Basil leaves, mezcal, blanco tequila, Chartreuse, kummel, agave syrup, and lime juice.
We say: Some of the biggest flavours on the back bar are corralled, tamed and made to play together nicely.

Prelude
With: Dry gin, aromatised wine, kummel, celery bitters, and absinthe.
We say: With delicate but assertive caraway-led herbal undertones, this is a savoury, Martini-style cocktail.

Silver Bullet
With: Gin, kummel and lemon juice.
We say: If you like Aviations then this caraway-influenced sour may appeal.

Weekly Special
With: Gin, kummel, maraschino and pink grapefruit juice.
We say: Not so far removed from an Aviation. Depending on your grapefruit juice, this particular "Special" may be very slightly on the sweet side, but it's fantastically aromatic.

Vowel Cocktail
With: Scotch whisky, kummel, rosso vermouth, orange juice and aromatic bitters.
We say: Caraway from the kummel heavily influences this variation on a Blood & Sand.

Vodka Silver Bullet
With: Vodka, kummel and grapefruit bitters.
We say: Perhaps best described as a Kümmel Martini with the liqueur's strong caraway flavours fortified with vodka, freshened and made more complex by the addition of grapefruit bitters.