Dr. Jagla’s Artichoke Elixir. Herbal bitter made from artichoke, gentian, and bitter herbs, 35% vol – the digestif from the Berlin apothecary bottle.

Dr. Jagla’s Artichoke Elixir is a herbal bitter from Berlin: regional artichokes with gentian root, centaury, cinchona bark, bitter orange peel, cardamom, and a hint of saffron, macerated by hand and aged for months, 35% vol, 500 ml in an apothecary bottle with a gift box. Not a sweet liqueur, not a shot for gulping, not an off-the-shelf bitter – a digestif to be sipped slowly after a meal.

Artichoke Elixir by Dr. Jagla is our most-ordered bitter from Berlin, by far ahead of the other elixirs. Sunday, half past two, the roast has been eaten, the plates are still on the table. Someone brings the brown apothecary bottle out of the cupboard, small glasses, two centiliters for everyone. In the glass is an amber-colored bitter that tastes spicy at first, then bitter, and finally slightly sweet, with a long finish. This is the moment this elixir was made for: the half hour after a meal when no one wants to get up and the coffee is still a while away. With tonic, this same bitter becomes a summer drink; with gin and vermouth, a Negroni.

Bitter with gentian and cinchona bark, warm with cardamom and cinnamon, quietly sweet at the end

The elixir tastes spicy and bitter at first, then a restrained sweetness emerges, and the finish remains long. The bitterness is provided by gentian root, centaury, and cinchona bark—the classic bitter herbs, to which the artichoke adds its own tart note. Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon bark, clove, nutmeg, and galangal bring warmth, while bitter orange peel and juniper berry provide freshness, and lavender and a hint of saffron linger at the back of the mouth. The color is a natural amber, as the manufactory emphasizes—from the herbs, the infusion, and the maturation process.

Dr. Jagla recommends moving the bitter slowly in the front of the mouth, as in a wine tasting—this allows the herbs to unfold one after the other instead of all at once. Those who take the time can taste the sequence: root, spice, peel, blossom. On ice, the elixir becomes rounder and somewhat milder; neat at room temperature, it shows its full bitterness.

Those looking for sweetness in the glass will find the bitter stern—in that case, the Apple-Mallow Elixir with apple, mallow blossom, and licorice is the right bottle from the same producer. The Artichoke Elixir is the tart variety in the assortment, for people who like a bitter to be bitter.

Neat after a meal, with tonic in the afternoon, in a Negroni in the evening

Classically, you drink the elixir neat at room temperature or on ice: two to four centiliters in a small glass, after a meal, in peace. The bottle will last for a good twenty glasses. It is a spirit with 35% vol and, like all Dr. Jagla elixirs, is for those 18 and older.

The Artichoke Tonic is the manufactory’s recipe for the afternoon: 30 ml elixir, the juice of half a lime, topped up to 100 ml with tonic water, ice, and a lime slice. The bitter gives the tonic depth, the lime brings out the freshness—a long drink that remains tart and therefore pairs well with olives, salted almonds, and ham.

For the evening, there is the Dr. Jagla Negroni: one part elixir, one part gin, one part red vermouth, stirred on ice, with orange zest. The manufactory recommends their own Dry GIN-seng, the gin with ginseng root from the same apothecary, for this. In this drink, the elixir takes the role usually filled by an Italian red bitter—only more herbal and less sweet.

Our tip: Prepare the Artichoke Tonic in the afternoon with more tonic, 20 ml of elixir to 100 ml of tonic—it then becomes a light drink with a bitter edge that even appeals to people who usually avoid bitters.

Based on a 15th-century monastery recipe, prepared in the family pharmacy

Dr. Jagla is a Berlin manufactory located at Choriner Straße 40, originating from a family of pharmacists. For decades, the Jaglas have refined a monastery pharmacy recipe from the 15th century, and the Artichoke Elixir is the bottle that most clearly embodies this formula: a bitter of roots, barks, blossoms, and spices, as is the tradition in monastery pharmacies.

Individual production steps are still oriented toward the Pharmacopoea Germanica, the old German pharmacopoeia, and according to the manufactory, the elixir is still prepared in the family pharmacy in Wuppertal. The herbs are macerated by hand in small batches using certified high-quality herbs, ensuring the purity and potency of the plants. Afterward, the infusion matures slowly for several months before it is filled into the apothecary bottle. Behind the elixir is Dr. Christina Jagla from the pharmacist family.

Origin and care come from the pharmacy; the elixir is consumed for what it is: a herbal liqueur for enjoyment, a bitter for after a meal. The apothecary bottle with its paper label and gift box tell this story before the bottle is even opened.

The bitter for the Sunday table and the gift for people who already have everything

This bitter is the bottle for people who prefer something bitter to something sweet after a meal—and who like to do so slowly. It belongs in kitchen cupboards where an Italian amaro might otherwise stand, and it comes to the table on Sundays, holidays, and after long dinners. In the apothecary bottle with its gift box, it is the perfect gift for a host who enjoys bitters, for a father who has everything, and for a colleague as a parting gift.

To explore the assortment further, try the Golfer’s Ginseng Elixir, the fuller-bodied brother based on ginseng root, and for guests who are driving, the non-alcoholic Tart Hibiscus. All elixirs and aperitifs can be found on our Dr. Jagla page. The elixir is not suitable for those who expect a mild, sweet herbal liqueur—it is a bitter and remains one, even on ice.

Artichoke, gentian, a hint of saffron—the herbal bitter from the Berlin apothecary bottle, for the half hour after a meal when no one wants to get up.