Wajos Vanilla Crescent Cream Liqueur. Cream, vanilla, and nut, 17 percent, creamy and sweet – the Christmas cookie as a cream liqueur for the evening after dinner.
Wajos Vanilla Crescent Cream Liqueur is a cream liqueur with 17 percent alcohol that tastes like vanilla crescent cookies – creamy milk, vanilla, and the spiciness of roasted nuts –, 350 ml from Dohr on the Moselle. Not an egg liqueur, not a clear nut schnapps, not baking extract in alcohol, but a thick, sweet liqueur to be drunk chilled as a digestif or with dessert. Contains dairy products. For ages 18 and up.
Vanilla Crescent Cream Liqueur by Wajos is the opposite of a cookie plate: that sits on the table starting the first Advent, and by the third day, the craving for crescents is gone. This liqueur only comes out after dinner, in a small glass, well-chilled, and tastes exactly like that crescent no one wants to eat anymore – vanilla, butter, roasted nut, powdered sugar. It is our best-selling Wajos liqueur, and almost all of it goes out between the end of November and Christmas, as a gift or for one's own Christmas Eve.
Cream and vanilla up front, nut behind it, the alcohol only as warmth
The liqueur is light, thick, and coats the inside of the glass. The aroma is first vanilla, sweet and warm, then cream. On the tongue comes the creaminess, then the vanilla, and right at the end the nut – the roasted note that distinguishes a vanilla crescent from a butter cookie. At 17 percent, the alcohol sits in between as a gentle warmth that makes the liqueur round rather than sharp. Wajos describes it as full-bodied and sweet, and that hits the mark: it is a dessert in a glass, far removed from schnapps.
What you should know: It is a cream liqueur, so it is sweet and rich, and it contains dairy products – it is not suitable for anyone with lactose intolerance. Wajos only reveals cream, vanilla, and nut regarding the recipe, so we will stick to what you taste. For those expecting a dry, clear liqueur or a nut spirit, the vanilla crescent liqueur is the wrong bottle – if you like vanilla but prefer fruit instead of nut, you will find an alternative in the Vanilla Liqueur with Orange.
Chilled neat, over vanilla ice cream, in coffee, and in Christmas desserts
The simplest way is the best: bottle in the fridge, a small glass, cold and neat – the digestif after Christmas dinner when no one wants cake anymore, but everyone wants to keep sitting together. Two centiliters are enough; the liqueur is sweet and satisfying.
Over vanilla ice cream, it is the dessert for busy evenings: a scoop, a splash of liqueur, a few crumbled crescents on top. The same works with rice pudding, semolina porridge, or warm apple strudel. In coffee, it replaces both milk and sugar – a splash in an espresso after Sunday roast. And in hot chocolate, it provides the vanilla that usually comes from a jar.
When baking and mixing, it is a shortcut to Christmas cream: a splash in the mascarpone cream for tiramisu, in whipped cream for chocolate cake, or in quark for a dessert in a glass with speculoos crumbs. It is also at home in a punch made of sparkling wine and liqueur for a toast, and in winter, in a cocktail with vodka and espresso.
What does not mix well: cream liqueur and acid. With lemon juice, orange juice, or sparkling wine with high acidity, the cream will curdle – so the spritz is reserved for other liqueurs. And cooking does not suit it well: with heat, the liqueur separates, and the vanilla dissipates. Always add at the very end, to cold cream or onto the finished dessert. It is not suitable for anyone who still has to drive – 17 percent is less than schnapps, but more than a glass of wine.
Our tip: A glass of vanilla crescent liqueur, well-chilled, alongside two Old Hazelnut Liqueur Pralines – our finale for Christmas Eve when dessert would be too much and coffee not enough.
Liqueur is the oldest product at Wajos – and this one is a winter child
A cream liqueur like this stands in line with the first product of the company at Wajos. Walter Josef Oster, whose initials form the brand name, came from a winemaking family in Ediger-Eller on the Moselle that has been making wine for 15 generations – and in the 1980s, he opened a liqueur manufactory next to the winery. Liqueur was the first business before cremas, oils, and spices filled the assortment.
His son Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg built the Wajos brand from it starting in the 2000s in Dohr near Cochem, with over 80 employees, the first store in 2008 in Trier, and today, stores all over Germany. The family business carries around 900 items, the majority of which are produced in Dohr and tested in their own laboratory – Wajos calls the principle "controlled smaller work," preferring in-house production to large quantities elsewhere.
For us, the vanilla crescent liqueur is seasonal: it hits the shelves in autumn, and from mid-November, it is in demand – after winter, it pauses until the next autumn.
The gift for people who love Christmas and a glass of liqueur with it
The Vanilla Crescent Cream Liqueur is the bottle for everyone who associates Christmas with cookies and a glass after dinner – and for those who find egg liqueur too heavy and nut spirits too harsh. As a gift, it is the perfect offering for an Advent dinner, a package for parents, or an add-on to a tin of cookies. Those who like it creamy, but different, will find a second winter bottle in the Christmas Cream Liqueur; all liqueurs are listed on our Wajos page.
Store unopened in a dry place, protected from heat and light; once opened, keep in the fridge and drink within a few weeks – cream liqueur loses quality over time. 350 milliliters are about fifteen small glasses. It is not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age or for anyone who must avoid dairy products.
Cream, vanilla, and roasted nut, 17 percent, well-chilled – the cream liqueur from the Moselle that concludes our Christmas Eve.
