Written by READE A. HUDDLESTON, MSC.
T A A C O V D A B
For many Northern Europeans alcohol and egg drinks are as common as peanut butter and jelly in the United States; and nowhere is that more visible than in the Dutch liqueur known as advocaat.
everages made from a mixture of alcohol and eggs are not the most common in the United States. Indeed, aside from the occasional glass of eggnog or a particularly well-made egg white cocktail like a Pisco Sour or a Gin Fizz, I suspect that most Americans never see the two mixed. However, for many Northern Europeans alcohol and egg drinks are as common as peanut butter and jelly in the United States; and nowhere is that more visible than in the Dutch liqueur known as advocaat. So, what exactly is advocaat? Well, to find that answer we need to do a little digging into regulations. In chapter four of the Beverage Alcohol Manual, the TTB defines advocaat as “an egg flavored distilled spirit product.1” Although this is generally correct, it does not give much indication about what to expect when handed a bottle of advocaat. Luckily, our European counterparts have a bit more to say on the subject. The 1989 EEC ruling that established the definition and identities of various liquors for the European Union states that advocaat, or eierlikor as it is known in Germany, is defined as a flavored or unflavored spirit drink that contains a mixture of egg yolk, egg white, and sugar or honey. Specifically, the EEC regulations state that the amount of egg yolk in the finished beverage must not be less than 140 grams per liter and the amount of sugar or honey must not be less than 150 grams per liter. If a product contains less egg yolk,
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it must be called liqueur with egg and not advocaat.2 Now that we know what advocaat is, it’s time to learn about its history and what makes it a unique spirit. Advocaat’s origins, like the beverage itself, are a bit opaque. Mixtures of alcohol and egg products have existed in one form or another since the inception of both. However, advocaat as a unique beverage is a somewhat newer concept. One of the most popular advocaat origin stories claims that it was first introduced to Dutch settlers of the new world during the 17th century. In the early 1600s, Dutch settlers established colonies along the coast of what is now Brazil. These Dutch colonists interacted extensively with the indigenous population and were taught to make a drink out of crushed avocado, sugarcane, and rum, which they called advocaat.3 The drink became immensely popular with the colonists and incorporated into their daily life. However, the Portuguese forced the Dutch settlers out of Brazil in the late 1600s, thus cutting them off from their supply of avocados. Some colonists returned to the Netherlands and attempted to grow avocado trees there, but the trees did not fare well in the colder Dutch climate.4 Fortunately,
some enterprising merchants discovered that egg yolks had almost the exact same consistency as avocado pulp. They quickly began making and selling their own version of advocaat which became even more popular than the original.5 While entertaining, this story lacks one important feature: evidence.3 Although it is true that Dutch colonists would have been introduced to avocados, there is little evidence that an avocado and rum drink existed in Brazil during colonial times, or for that matter ever. In all likelihood, advocaat has existed in one form or another for many years, and its current iteration came about along with the popularization of distilled spirits in the 17th century. As for the name, advocaat is also the Dutch word for lawyer and the 1882 edition of the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, also known as the Dictionary of the Dutch Language, states that advocaat was named after lawyers because it was a popular practice among the profession to drink advocaat before having to speak in public.6 Whatever the truth is about the origins of advocaat, there is no denying it has a colorful and interesting history. The recipe and production methods for advocaat are relatively simple; however, many producers keep their exact methods and ingredients a secret.5 Production begins by selecting the base alcohol. For many Dutch producers, brandy is traditional, however, as mentioned above, there is no regulation on the type of alcohol used, and there are many producers that use neutral alcohol or rum.1,7,8 Next, the eggs are selected. Some producers use only egg yolk, which creates a particularly thick finished product. The eggs are mixed with a sweetener, either sugar or honey, and spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, to create a thick emulsion. Some producers will add cream if they prefer a lighter, less heavy flavor. Other ingredients can also be added to the 37