This picture shows Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary. It was in 1790 that Doctor Zwack, Royal Physician to the Imperial Court, offered the Habsburg monarch a sip of Unicum as a remedy for indigestion. Legend would have it that the royal comment was: ‘Dr. Zwack, das ist ein Unikum!’ giving this herb digestive its name. The fame and popularity of Unicum was gradually to spread far beyond the Court in Vienna.
Fifty years were to pass before a descendent of Doctor Zwack, Jozsef in the photograph above the bench, founded the first Zwack company in 1840 and registered Unicum as a brand commercially. He became known as “The General” in the trade and led the Company well into his nineties. He was considered a pioneer as he was the first to use natural ingredients in the production of Zwack liqueurs and spirits.
