Chef Klaus
Apfelschorle
Cloudy apple juice, sharp mineral water, and no sugar bowl: the German Schorle that belongs in school bags, beer gardens, picnic baskets, and the table when supper is quick.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Apfelwein-Schorle
Created by
Frankfurt's long drink for a warm table: dry Apfelwein, cold mineral water, and the ribbed Geripptes glass that tells you where you are.
Beverages
German
Outdoor Dining
Dinner Party
5 min
Active Time
0 min cook•5 min total
Yield2 drinks
Apfelwein-Schorle belongs to Hessen, strongest around Frankfurt and Sachsenhausen, where the Apfelwein tavern pours it by the Geripptes, the ribbed glass, and the Bembel, the grey-blue stoneware jug. This is the sauer Gespritzter, dry apple wine cut with sparkling water. It sits on the summer table, the garden table, the plate of green sauce and boiled potatoes, the long evening when beer would be too heavy.
Germany argues by region even when the drink has only two ingredients. In Hessen you say Apfelwein or Ebbelwoi and cut it with water. In the Saarland and around Trier they pour Viez, sharper apple or pear wine, and make their own Spritzer. In the north, a cold mixed drink is more likely an Alsterwasser; in the south, a Radler. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. Das ist kein Bierzelt.
The technique is the pour. Chill both parts hard, pour the Apfelwein first, then cut it with lively mineral water at the last moment. The bubbles lift the acid and bitter apple edge; pour it early and the glass goes flat before the food reaches the table. Keep the sweet lemonade for a suess Gespritzter, a sweet spritz, if that's the drink you mean. This one is sauer, and it should stay sharp.
Nicht aus dem Glas in the wrong sense: don't fake it with supermarket apple soda. Use real dry Apfelwein, cloudy gold if you can find it, and water with bite. Two ingredients, so both have to stand up.
Frankfurt's Apfelwein culture is documented in city tavern life by the 18th century, when local apple growing and wine taxes helped apple wine become the everyday drink of the region. The ribbed Geripptes glass and the blue-grey Bembel jug became the visible service of Hessian Apfelwein taverns, especially in Sachsenhausen. The split between sauer Gespritzter, cut with mineral water, and suess Gespritzter, cut with lemonade, is still a live Hessian table argument, not a bartender's invention.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dry Hessian Apfelwein
Quantity
300ml
well chilled
highly sparkling mineral water
Quantity
150ml
well chilled
ice cubes (optional)
Quantity
a few
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dry Hessian Apfelweinwell chilled | 300ml |
| highly sparkling mineral waterwell chilled | 150ml |
| ice cubes (optional) | a few |
Equipment Needed
- •2 Geripptes glasses or small tumblers
- •Measuring jug
Instructions
- 1
Chill everything
Put the Apfelwein, mineral water, and glasses in the refrigerator until properly cold. This drink has no sugar and no spice to hide behind; warmth makes the acid blunt and the apple taste tired.
- 2
Choose the ratio
Start with two parts Apfelwein to one part water. That keeps the drink long and sharp without washing it thin; if your Apfelwein is especially hard and sour, move toward equal parts, but don't drown the apple.
- 3
Pour the Apfelwein
Divide the cold Apfelwein between two Geripptes glasses, or use small tumblers if you haven't got them. Pour the apple wine first so the water can open it through the whole glass instead of sitting on top.
- 4
Cut with water
Top with the sparkling mineral water just before serving. The bubbles lift the tart apple and make the drink clean at the finish; pour too early and the glass goes flat, which is just wet apple wine with regrets.
- 5
Serve at once
Serve immediately, without garnish. A Schorle, a drink cut with sparkling water, lives on cold and bubbles, not decoration. Schön ist, was schmeckt.
Chef Tips
- •Buy dry Apfelwein, not sweet apple cider and not apple soda. The sour edge is the point of a sauer Gespritzter.
- •Use mineral water with strong bubbles. Gentle table water disappears in the glass and leaves the drink dull.
- •If someone asks for suess Gespritzter, cut the Apfelwein with lemonade instead of water. That's a different Hessian pour, sweeter and softer, and it should be named honestly.
Advance Preparation
- •Chill the Apfelwein, water, and glasses several hours ahead.
- •Do not mix the drink ahead. The water goes in at the last moment because the bubbles are half the drink.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 225g)
Calories
55 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
15 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
0 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from German Home Beverages (Seasonal & Regional)
Browse the full collection
Chef Klaus
Berliner Weisse mit Schuss
Berlin's summer glass: sharp, pale Berliner Weisse softened with a red raspberry or green woodruff Schuss, cold enough to bead the glass and never from bottled syrup.
Chef Klaus
Eierlikör
The Easter bottle from yolks, sugar, cream, and good spirit, beaten warm just enough to thicken, then cooled into a yellow liqueur for cake, coffee, and small glasses.
Chef Klaus
Eierpunsch
The Advent mug that works only if you keep the heat gentle: egg yolks, sugar, and white wine whisked thick before the pot ever thinks about boiling.