Christina has herbalism in her blood. Her grandfather already produced herbal bitters in his colonial goods store. Today, the pharmacist creates Dr. Jagla’s herbal elixirs in an innovative way, lending her creations a bittersweet harmony.

Conversation with Dr. Christina Jagla

Christina, what exactly is an herbal elixir?

The word elixir comes from Arabic and stands for a precious essence. Many of our herbs have a long tradition in European herbal culture—this includes, for example, valerian, ginseng, or zedoary root. What we do is truly new, and in terms of taste, there is nothing comparable. That is exactly what makes our elixirs so exciting.

Your great-grandfather already produced herbal bitters. How has the tradition continued?

Yes, my great-grandfather had a colonial goods store and also produced herbal essences that were an integral part of the regional tradition. My father later trained as a pharmacist—and I followed that path as well. It is a beautiful connection between the past, present, and future—reinterpreting old recipes with modern knowledge.

What is special about Dr. Jagla’s elixirs?

We extract the aromas of the herbs using a gentle process. This allows us to achieve complex, multi-layered flavor profiles that are rarely found in conventional industrial products. Furthermore, we work with high-quality organic ingredients and combine herbs and fruits into extraordinary flavor pairings.

Which varieties are available?

Among others, the San Orangello—a non-alcoholic bitter orange aperitif—, the Maca Ginseng Elixir, the Artichoke Elixir, and the Golfer’s Ginseng Elixir. And, of course, our non-alcoholic aperitif lines like San Limello and San Pompello—they have really been a hit in recent years.