Hawara Liqueur - in the spirit of friendship

For our Liqueur of the Month for November, we have chosen Hawara, a delicious apple-cinnamon liqueur produced in Vienna. Behind the project are four young, passionate Viennese, whom we asked for a short interview.

- Who are you, and how did you come up with the idea to develop your own liqueur brand?
- The idea came, how could it be any different, while partying. In a bar, a cocktail with mustard and horseradish was served, and I thought to myself, "the world needs something like this as a party shot, just with more common ingredients in the foreground."

Thank God I was still able to remember the idea the next day, and so I started with product development, conceptualization, and brought my founding partner and close friend Ralph on board.

Apple strudel is Vienna’s most traditional and popular dessert, so it quickly became clear to us that this should be the main flavor in the foreground.

- Why is your Hawara something special?
- The HAWARA is something special due to its attention to detail and its many "Schmähs" (Viennese charm/wit). The fact that we launched the first party shot in the premium segment makes the HAWARA unique and sets it apart from the masses.

- You say that the Hawara is a "real Viennese." What exactly makes a real Viennese to you?
- I think Falco once said, "We Viennese fluctuate between depression and megalomania." It goes similarly in entrepreneurship, and especially in starting a business. One day you think the world belongs to you and nothing can touch you, and the next day you think the world is coming to an end. But that is exactly what makes life exciting. (laughs)

The "Viennese Schmäh" certainly helps to take many things more lightly and see them with a wink. Anyone who can do that definitely has an easier time in life, and I believe that is what truly defines us Viennese.

"A real Viennese doesn't go under" (an old saying) has its meaning; or in our case, as we like to say, "A real Viennese goes down well."

- What is your personal relationship with Vienna, and how is it reflected in Hawara?
- Vienna is the city of our dreams and, for me personally, the most beautiful city in the world. In truth, we live in a huge open-air museum. Everyone should enjoy it.
Specifically, during the development of our HAWARA, it was important to us to bring as much Vienna as possible into and onto the bottle. That starts with the name, continues with the ingredients from the Viennese kitchen, and ends with the 23% ABV, which represents the 23 Viennese districts. You can't get more Vienna than that.