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I am giving my spice schnapps stars from 1 * to 5 *****

Do you need a good recipe for a dram? Then select your favorite recipe and press 'GO'.
I have made all the recipes myself and can therefore vouch that they are good and taste good.
Cheers !                

 

Ingredients for walnut schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

1 bottle of Stolichnaya Vodka 38%
6 large, green and unripe walnuts
See text
1 tbsp. licorice root
3 star anise

Brewing time min. 4 months

Accessories:
1.5 liter decoction glass with lid

It is important that the glass is not completely filled. It is a requirement that oxygen is added to the mixture for it to develop properly. Walnut schnapps, stored for 5 years, must be in a bottle with a cork - Cognac bottle.

News from 2017: This recipe is so excellent that there is no reason to change it significantly. I have tried adding a few flavors and the best and only one is licorice root and star anise. Try to get 1 tbsp. licorice root and 2 star anise in the glass the last month of the brewing time. It will be my recipe in 2017
No. 1 Walnut schnapps *****
Walnut schnapps from 2015
Walnut schnapps from 2015
Walnut tree

I can recommend using a Decanting device with electric pump, then you get a crystal clear product that is a pleasure to pour into a glass for one's guests.
Procedure without liability

The walnuts are picked in late summer, late July early August, while they are still completely green and still soft. I use six walnuts, which are cut into quarters and drawn into a bottle of vodka. The walnuts must be completely covered with vodka. After a few weeks the schnapps turns brown, and after a few months almost black. Feel free to look at the schnapps once a week with the lid removed, because this will add a little oxygen to the glass. The walnuts are removed at Christmas time and the schnapps is filtered and poured into a clean bottle, preferably a bottle with a cork stopper. If the bottle is not full, prime with the same vodka that was used for the extraction.

The bottle must stand for many more months for the sediment to settle. The walnut schnapps is only drinkable after a year, but 5 years later it starts to taste as good as a French Cognac. Whether the walnut schnapps should be diluted is a matter of taste. Used as Cognac after 5 years, I do not dilute it. But if it is used before food as an aperitif, it is a good idea to dilute the walnut schnapps at Christmas time with an extra bottle of vodka of the same brand that was used for the extract.

The walnut schnapps in the picture on the left is from 2015 and today 2023 it is like a ***** star Cognac. 2016 was a year that for some reason I didn't get to make walnut schnapps. But from 2017 until 2020 I have made several bottles per year. These are still untouched and stored, to be tasted at Christmas.

Go to a printer friendly printout of the recipe.

 

Ingredients for sloe schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

1 fl. Stolichnaya Vodka 38 %
300 g sloe / blackthorn

Brewing time 4 to 6 months

Accessories:
1.5 liter decoction glass with lid

The sweetness in the sloe schnapps appears when the berry has been frozen, therefore the birds only eat them when there has been frost.

News: In the year 2017 I came 4 pcs. "Plums in Madeira" in the sloe schnapps together with 4 tbsp. of the juice from the plums. Sloe is related to plums.

The sloe is also called blackthorn.

I can recommend using a Decanting device with electric pump, then you get a crystal clear product that is a pleasure to pour into a glass for one's guests.
No. 2 Sloe schnapps ****
Sloe schnapps
Sloe schnapps
Sloe bush
Procedure without liability

Sloe grows in many places in Denmark, mainly in forest edges and scrub, where the soil is moist. The small bluish-black plum-like berries ripen in late October to early November. After nights with frost, they can be picked and used for winemaking or as here spice schnapps. In Denmark the frost comes late, so therefore I pick my berries at the peak of the berries and put them in the freezer for a few nights. Because if you wait too long to pick the berries, the birds will eat them.

The berries are pricked with a needle, put in the bottle and poured over with vodka. Place cold and dark and forget for the next 4 to 6 months, after which the berries are removed and the sloe schnapps is filtered. Let the bottle stand for a few more months for the sediment to settle. The color is orange red and the schnapps tastes a little bittersweet.

Tip: Clean all the pulp off the seeds and dry them in an oven. Crush the kernels with a hammer, put them in a glass and cover with some of the sloe schnapps. Let it soak for 4 weeks, filter and taste the sloe schnapps with this "essence".

 

Ingredients for mint schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

1 fl. Stolichnaya Vodka 38%

10 neat stems with leaves of the plant
or
½ l green leaves of the plant
½ to 1 red chili pepper - split

Brewing time 1 week and 1 week. See text

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The mint schnapps gets a nice yellow-brown color and the mint tastes good in the schnapps.

Also try the mint schnapps for fish. It goes well with herring. If you lack good fish recipes, see here.

Note: I have started making a Hot chili essence with 7 chili peppers and 250 ml of vodka. Split the chili, put them in the bottle, pour on the vodka. Pulls for 2 weeks, filters and pours into small bottles.
No. 3 Mint schnapps with a "Twist" of Chili Pepper ***
Mint schnapps
Mint schnapps
Mint plants
Procedure without liability

The mint plant is found in Denmark with many species, but the one I use I have in my the garden. It was purchased as a small spice plant and planted in the garden with the other spice plants. It must be kept "down" because otherwise the plant suffocates the other plants in the spice garden. I use the mint for two things: Mint jelly for roast lamb and mint schnapps for a stimulant - gives air in the nose if it is clogged. My plant is a Peppermint. In Latin Mentha-Piperita, because it looks like the leaves and flowers.

Around Sct. His I take the best stems and fill them in a clean decoction bottle - as many as possible - pour a bottle of vodka on and let it soak max. Fourteen days. The chili pepper only lasts for 7 days. The mint schnapps is then filtered and returned to the original schnapps bottle. It can be drunk immediately, but gains something after a few months of storage.

Remember to taste it with the chili, you can always add more, but do not take it out.

 

Ingredients for a good Rompot
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Stroh Rom 54 (54% alcohol)

200 g Danish strawberries
200 g Danish raspberries
200 g Danish ribs
200 g Danish black currants
200 g Danish sour cherries without stones
200 g Danish blackberries
265 g pearl sugar

Accessories:
3 l boiling glass

The berries can be placed in the glass as they ripen in the Danish summer. Aliquots of sugar and rum are poured on as the berries get into the glass. If you want a very sweet Rompot, you can go up to 500 g of sugar.
No. 4 Rompot - Rumtopf ****
Rompot - Rumtopf
Rompot - Rumtopf - With Stroh Rom 54
The juice is filtered and used for dessert

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

In clean glasses, the first berries are placed in the bottom and a subset (here 1/6) of sugar is sprinkled over. Pour in rum until the berries are covered. This is repeated as the berries ripen in your garden. When all the berries (here 6 kinds) have entered the glass, the last sugar must be sprinkled over and the remaining part of the rum poured over so that it covers with approx. 1 cm.

The glass is closed and kept cold, dark and dry until Christmas Eve. Now you can serve a good Rompot to your risalamande. Alternatively, let some of the juice settle and use this as an accompaniment to a dessert - apple pie, ice cream and other goodies. See the picture TV.

Other berries can of course also be used - plums, gooseberries and blueberries - but if the berries are very hard, they must be pricked with a fork so that the juice pulls out and the rum into the berry.

It is important that the alcohol percentage is high, for the sake of durability. The alcohol percentage decreases as it is diluted with the juice from the berries. Average for the amount of berries, rum and sugar gives approx. 20 to 22% vol. Alcohol. See my Wine and schnapps calculation .

 

Ingredients for a good cherry sauce
Danish version     Next Down   

350 g sweet cherries of the variety Regina
100 g pearl sugar
25 g syrup (light or dark)
or heather honey
1 vanilla bean
4 whole cloves
1 pinch cardamom
1 pinch of cinnamon
130 ml Captain Morgan Rum 40% or
Kirschwasser or
Maraschino liqueur or
Ameretto liqueur

Accessories:
1 jam jar of ½ liters or the original ->
Tang: Cherry Extractes

The cherries are stoned with a suitable pair of tongs and placed in the glass layered with sugar, syrup and spices. The vanilla beans are mixed with a little sugar. The shell can be put in and dragged along for Christmas. If you want a slightly sweeter cherry sauce, you can go up to 50g of syrup. Alternative to syrup is honey, alternative to Rum is Kirschwasser or Maraschino liqueur. Remember your glass should be filled (almost) to the brim and stored cold and dark until Christmas.

The original cherries "amarena" are from Bologna and Modena in Italy. The name "amarena" means bitter, which is why they get a special treatment before they come in the fine jars and are sold at a high price.


Great Princess
"Great Princess"
No. 5 Cherry sauce for risalamande *****
Cherry sauce for risalamande
Cherry sauce for risalamande

Industrial production of Cocktail cherries in the United States is mainly made from the variety "Great Princess". The cherries are harvested ripe but not overripe. The cherries are stoned and then placed in salt water. The layer contains 0.7-1.5% sulfur and 0.4-1% calcium carbonate. Its pH is between 2.5 and 3.5. The process takes place at low temperatures and lasts four to six weeks. In this process, the cherries are bleached so that they lose their color and flavor completely. The process is similar to the treatment of other cherries before further treatment. Then wash the cherries thoroughly for one to two days to reduce the content of sulfur dioxide, then boil in dye in which they lie for a few days so that the whole fruit is permeated by the dye. Citric acid is added, which prevents the cherries from releasing the dye again. Finally, the cherries are soaked in Maltose syrup. Erythrosin (E127) or Allura Red AC (E129) is often used as a dye. Erythrosine may only be used in Europe for the production of cocktail cherries pickled in a syrup, and candied cherries.

The main producer of traditionally made cocktail cherries pickled in alcohol - Maraschino liqueur - is the Italian spirits producer Girolamo Luxardo.
Procedure without liability

There are probably many opinions about cherry sauce for risalamande. Some will have a thick sauce and others will have a thin sauce. Should it be very spicy - read perfumed - sweet or sour? I am of the opinion that cherry sauce should taste of the ingredients one comes in and preferably a bit of "Christmas". The cheap ones in cardboard boxes from Danish supermarkets are too bad and the good ones in jars from Italy are too expensive. But then it is good that in July / August you can make your own good cherry sauce for risalamande and let it ripen in the fridge for Christmas.

I have saved the beautiful blue jars from Fabbri Amarena, which I now use for my own recipe. There is also a red variant from Toschi Amarena. Both companies are from Italy and there is a big difference in price but a slight difference in taste. The blue 600 g is very perfumed in taste as it is added almond license. The red 510 g is a little more "watery", hence the price difference. Both brands are made from black wild amarena cherries, sugar, water, glucose syrup, cherry juice, citric acid, aroma and grape skin color (anthocyanin) of black cherries. The small difference in taste must obviously lie in the composition of the ingredients and perhaps in the production process. The price difference, blue costs 90.00 DKK for 600 g = 15.00 DKK per 100 g - red costs 50.00 DKK for 510 g = 9.80 DKK per 100 g, I can not explain.

In clean glasses, place the stoned cherries and sprinkle with layers of sugar, syrup and spices until the top is reached. Captain Morgan Rum 40% is poured on until the berries are covered. If you want to sacrifice more money, you can use the German Kirschwasser or Maraschino liqueur from Croatia.

The glass is closed and kept dark and cold until Christmas Eve. Now you can serve a good cherry sauce to your risalamande. Be aware that no preservative has been added, therefore store the jar in the refrigerator. Gently shake the jar a few times a month.

Regina cherry
Regina sweet cherries from Danfrugt Skælskør

You can buy your cherry trees at Dansk Hjemmeproduktion. They also sell the fine Rumtopf jar for the recipe above.

 

Ingredients for plums in Madeira
Danish version     Next Down   

2.2 kg plums are picked and stoned
gives approx. 2 kg without stones (shrinkage approx. 10%)
600 g pearl sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 whole cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 dl water
4 dl Madeira
1 tbsp. Atamon
1 dl Captain Morgan Rum 40% or
1 dl Straw Rum 80%

Accessories:
2 jam jars of 1.5 liters

The syrup layer is made as follows:
Boil water and sugar for a syrup together with the spices - the vanilla bean is simply split lengthwise and cut into quarters. Turn off the heat and add Madeira and Atamon to the syrup. Pour the hot mixture over the plums. The mixture should cover the plums, if not, then refill with Jamaica Rum or a strong Stroh Rum. If you use Rum in a good amount, then you can simply dip the rubber pack in Atamon and not get it in the plums.
No. 6 Plums in Madeira ****
Plums in Madeira
Plums in Madeira
I used Victoria plums,
which I have in the garden,
but all good plums can be used.
The glass here is 1.5 liters
Procedure without liability

Clean a 1.5 liter boiling glass with boiling water and let it dry itself. Pour a little Atamon into the hot glass and close it. Shake the glass well and pour out the contents. What sits on the inside as well as the lid turns white when the glass is dry. This is what the "exercise" is about, namely depositing preservative on the inside of the glass.

The plums are rinsed in cold water and wiped before halving and stoning. Then they are placed in the glass layered up to the edge. The syrup layer is poured over the plums.

The glass is tightly closed with the gasket and left to cool, dark and dry. Now a vacuum is formed in the glass when the glass gets cold, and this helps to extend the shelf life. For the first week, I usually take the glass out and shake it so that the plums collapse and everyone is under the syrup layer. I have had unopened glass for 2 years, but once they are opened I put the glass in the fridge and then they can stay for approx. 1 month - maybe more.

Tip: If you can not find Madeira, then a Portvin can also be used . Both types of wine have a strength between 19% and 20% - also called liqueur wine. Here you will find plum varieties and season for these.

Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

Go to a printer friendly printout of the recipe.

 

Ingredients for a good Christmas schnapps - Bitterdram
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml 37.5% vol. Vodka

10 g Licorice root, sliced
10 g Potentilla, cut
5 g Orange peel, dried
6 g Bitter orange
4 pieces. Star anise
1 piece. Cinnamon stick
6 pieces. Cardamom
6 pieces. Carnations

Bitterdram add:
2 g Wormwood (choose which one)

Brewing time 2 weeks

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

A Christmas schnapps should of course taste a bit of Christmas. Therefore, there are also all the familiar Christmas spices in this schnapps. If it is to be a Bitterdram, 2 g Garden Wormwood / Beach Wormwood / Pontic Wormwood must be added). You choose for yourself. I prefer beach wormwood.
No. 7 Christmas schnapps - Bitterdram ***
Christmas schnapps - Bitterdram
Christmas schnapps - Bitterdram
Procedure without liability

In a clean glass, add the dried spices and a bottle of vodka.

The glass is closed and kept warm, dark and dry for two weeks. Then taste the schnapps and if you think it is good and tasty, filter it through two coffee filters and put in a clean bottle. I usually use the bottle on which the vodka is made.

Put the bottle away for a few months for the Christmas schnapps to be completely ready (sediment). Now it can be decanted and the last can be drunk on the spot. I have made a decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. If there is a little missing for the bottle to be completely filled, dilute with more vodka of the same kind. The schnapps is made in early October, then it is ready to drink for Christmas lunch.

I have started using two coffee filters put together so that with sediment it seems to become a minor issue. But it takes longer.

If there are readers who have good suggestions for filtering homemade schnapps, you are welcome to make an entry in the Guestbook.

 

Ingredients for a good Master Hunter Bitterdram
Danish version     Next Down   

2 x 700 ml 40% alcohol by volume Vodka or
Brøndum Klar
119 grams of herbs according to the ingredient list
10 g / L schnapps Muscovado cane sugar dark

Ingredient List for a Master Hunter

Original Jägermeister consists of 56 herbs, fruits, roots and spices, of which I have found 53 of these. The ingredient list is found above with grams for each spice. However, 2 spices are missing in my collection - Ginseng and Mate - but the mixture is set over October 18, 2017. The original Jägermeister is made by breaking the ingredients and soaking in a solution of water and alcohol for 4 days. After which the mixture is filtered and stored in oak barrels for a year. After one year, the bitter is filtered again and mixed with sugar, caramel and alcohol to a strength of 35% vol. A Jägermeister tastes good, but it is too sweet. That's why I do an experiment and call my bitter "Master Hunter Bitterdram".

Accessories:
2 pcs. 1 liter decoction bottles with lid, rubber gasket and 2 hangers and a little patience.

Tip: I have tried to add something dissolved "Pure licorice in small fractures" to Master Hunter Bitterdram and it gave the last "spice". I used 50 ml of alcohol and 5 g of licorice, which after it was dissolved, was decanted into the bitter.
No. 8 Master Hunter Bitterdram ****
Try out sugar in "Master Hunter"

Master Hunter Bitterdram

53 Herbs, fruits, roots and spices for
Master Hunter Bitterdram

There is a great decrease in the amount of alcohol. You could use a small sling / centrifuge for the reminiscences of all the extracts that you get. It will reduce spillage of the vodka that the herbs have soaked up. I made a Press Pistol and it works perfectly.

Print the ingredient list for a Master Hunter in alphabetical order in Excel Spreadsheets.

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

Mix all the dried herbs well and put half in separate decoction bottle and two bottles of 40% vol. Alcohol are poured over.

The bottles are closed with a rubber gasket and placed in a pot of water. The water is slowly heated to 40 °C and no more. The pot should like to keep this temperature for approx. 4 hours, after which the decoction bottles are set at room temperature until the contents have taken this temperature. Now there is negative pressure in the decoction bottles. The bottles are kept warm, dark and dry for two weeks. After two weeks, the contents are filtered coarsely and the two alcohols are mixed into a new large, clean bottle. The spices are mixed and a new bottle of alcohol is poured on. Let it soak for another week or two. Then filter the contents roughly and mix the 3 alcohols.

Taste the schnapps and if you think it is good and tasty, filter it through two coffee filters and put in clean bottles together with sugar. I use 10 grams of muscovado cane sugar per liter, but it's up to you to choose the amount. 10 grams of sugar lowers 1000 ml 40% vol. To 39.75% vol. Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

Put the bottles away for a few weeks for "Master Hunter" to be completely ready (sediment). Now it can be decanted and the last one drunk on the spot. I have made a decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. If a little is missing for the two bottles to be completely filled, dilute with more alcohol of the same kind. Master hunter wins by several months of storage.

I have started using two coffee filters put together - but it takes a long time - so with sediment it seems to be a very small problem. However, something can come after the sugar has come in. But do not filter for sugar, but decant only.

 

Ingredients for a good Curacao Liqueur
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.

4 pieces. Navel Oranges, Organic
only the yellow shell
10 g Orange peel, bitter, dried
10 g Orange peel, sweet, dried
3 g Lemon peel, dried
6 g Pomeranian peel, dried
10 pcs. Almonds, chopped
11 pcs. Cloves
70 g Light Cane Sugar
130 ml of water
Blue fruit color (option)

Brewing time 3 to 4 weeks

Accessories:
1 liter Glass

Curacao is a small island in the Caribbean. Here, in 1527, the Spaniards introduced an orange - Seville orange - which is still used today to make the refreshing liqueur of the same name. The orange is a "Bitter orange", which is not normally eaten, but is good for liqueur production.
No. 9 Curacao Liqueur ****
Curacao Liqueur

The real Curacao Liqueur without color

Cityscape from the capital Willemstad

Error on the label, which must be 30% vol

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

In a clean glass put the fresh orange peels and the dried spices, and a bottle of 37.5% vol. Vodka is poured over.

The glass is closed and kept warm, dark and dry for 3 to 4 weeks. After 3 to 4 weeks, the contents are filtered and the schnapps is transferred to a new clean bottle.

If you are satisfied with the clarity of the liqueur, it must now be mixed with sugar. I have taken as my starting point a liqueur of 30% vol. With a sugar content of 100 grams per liter. Therefore, the recipe must be followed. Measure how many ml of schnapps were left out, because something is lost in the fruit and the coffee filter. Dilute with more vodka so that there is 700 ml in total. Mix 130 ml of water and 70 grams of cane sugar in a saucepan. (I use spring water without lime). Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window. Boil water and sugar until it melts - foam the surface if necessary - let the sugar mixture cool to 40 ° C. Pour the liqueur into the sugar mixture and stir well. Put it all in a clean clear bottle. Now fills a little more (873 ml) than the bottle of vodka.

Now it is up to you to decide if the pure yellow color should be the color of your liqueur. Or if it should be blue, add drop by drop blue fruit color until you have achieved it desired color.

When I mention that oranges need to be organic, it's because we need to use the peel. I then assume that the oranges are not sprayed.

 

Ingredients for a good Jelzin Bitterdram
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Jelzin Vodka 37.5% vol.

35 g Rowanberries, fresh, frozen or
10 g Rowanberries, dried
10 g Lemon peel, dried
6 g Pomeranian peel, dried
5 g Anise, whole
½ Vanilla bean, Bourbon
5 g Licorice root, dried

Brewing time 10 days

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid
No. 10 Jelzin Bitterdram ***
Jelzin Bitterdram

Jelzin Bitterdram
Procedure without liability

In a clean glass, add the rowanberries and the dried spices, and a bottle of Jelzin 37.5% vodka is poured over. I used rowan berries of my own breeding, which had been in the freezer for a few days.

The glass is closed and kept warm, dark and dry for a week to two. My schnapps lasted for 10 days. Then taste the schnapps and if you think it is good and tasty, filter it through two coffee filters. Otherwise, let it soak for a few more days. Pour the Jelzin Bitterdram back into the original Jelzin bottle.

Put the bottle away for a few months for Jelzin Bitterdram to be completely clear (sediment). Now it can be decanted and the last one drunk on the spot. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. If there is a little missing for the bottle to be completely filled, dilute with more Jelzin Vodka. The schnapps is made in early October, then it is ready to drink for Christmas lunch.

Jelzin Bitterdram is now made and it has a great taste. Round and mild - not too bitter - a little sweet. Can be drunk at room temperature and I think it is good for mild cheese.

It became very clear, so there is no precipitation.

 

Ingredients for cough syrup
Danish version     Next Down   

30 g Danish Honey, preferably heather honey
15 g Glycerin, clean from the pharmacy
1 cl Lemon juice, organic
6 cl Vodka 37.5% vol
5 drops Peppermint oil
1 dl Blackcurrant juice, concentrated
or the juice you prefer
Maybe Aronia Juice from COOP

Accessories:
250 ml clean bottle
1 dl metal bowl
1 droplet pipette

Shake the bottle well for the next 2 days
Store in the refrigerator
Limited durability
No. 11 A good cough syrup for productive cough **
En god hostesaft til produktiv hoste
A good cough syrup for productive cough
Expected alcohol > 8% vol
Procedure without liability

Use a small metal bowl of 1 dl to heat honey and glycerin in. It must not get too hot (max 30 °C), but just melt together. Cool slightly and mix in Vodka and lemon juice. Drizzle 5 drops of Peppermint oil in and stir. Pour into a 250 ml clean sterile bottle. The mixture that you have just made takes up approx. 100 ml and it is now diluted with approx. 100 ml of concentrated blackcurrant juice or the juice you prefer.

Alcohol content in alcoholic beverages can be calculated by this formula: alcohol [ml] = amount [ml] * vol.%. Thus, a bottle of schnapps gives 700 ml * 40% = 280 ml. Or 280 * 0.789 = 221 grams of alcohol. One unit of alcohol is equal to 12 g of pure alcohol (ethanol CH3CH2OH), and in a 40% vol Vodka there are 221/12 = 18.4 unit of alcohol, each of 70/18.4 = 3.8 cl Vodka. Glycerin is also a "sugar alcohol" that helps increase the alcohol percentage in cough syrup? There is 16 ml of alcohol in 200 ml of the cough syrup. It provides an 8% vol strength.

 

Ingredients for a good Cranberry Liqueur - Lady Like
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.

250 g Cranberries, fresh
1 Nutmeg, crushed
10 pcs. Cardamom seeds, crushed
1 piece. Cinnamon, whole
2 pcs. Mandarins with peel, organic
Options:
1 Clementine or 1 Orange
Option:
1 tbsp. Heather honey

Draw period 8 weeks and
then 2 weeks

Store in the dark. In sunlight
the schnapps loses its color

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The schnapps wins a lot by
storage for several months

The recipe above is Cranberry Liqueur
The recipe below is Cranberry Schnapps
No. 12 Cranberry Liqueur - Lady Like ****
Cranberry Liqueur - Lady Like
Cranberry Schnapps

Cranberry Liqueur
Procedure without liability

I just bought fresh cranberries, which are put in the freezer for a few days before I start mixing. Fresh fruit / berries burst the cells so that the aroma and essential oils can better be absorbed into the alcohol. That's my thesis.

The frozen cranberries are thawed and cut in half and put in a glass, add the 3 spices and mandarin both. Option: Dissolve honey in some of the vodka at 30 ° C to 40 °C. Once the honey is dissolved, mix it in the rest of the vodka, and put it all in the bottle for the spices and fruits.

The bottle is now placed warm, dark and dry. Must draw 2 months (minimum). Taste the schnapps and rate color (pink to red) and sweetness. The color may disappear if the schnapps is exposed to sunlight. You can always let the schnapps absorb a little more and honey can be added if there is a lack of sweetness.

If the color and sweetness are satisfactory, remove the berries, tangerines and spices using a sieve. The schnapps is poured back into the clean glass and left in the dark for at least a week - preferably more. The schnapps forms a sediment that you do not want to get into the coffee filter before the clear schnapps has run through. The sediment tends to stop the filter quite quickly. This applies to all schnapps with citrus fruits.

Note: Cranberry Liqueur still drawing. When it's done, I'll try my Philips juicer on the pulp, because there's still a lot of vodka in the cranberries. Is now tested but can not be recommended.

I had 100 g of cranberry extra, which I put a bottle of vodka on and put away for two months. It has now been found and filtered through a coffee filter. It has a great color and taste, is crystal clear, so there is no need to make more of it. I call it Cranberry Schnapps as it only has the natural sweetness of the cranberries. I can only recommend making such a Cranberry Schnapps. The cranberries were squeezed through my Press Pistol and gave more than 10 cl of schnapps. Fantastic effective tool. Recommendable.

 

Ingredients for a good Hunter schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.

5 g Rowanberries, dried or
20 g Rowan-berries, fresh
5 g Licorice root, root cut
3 g Common)Tormentil, root cut
2 g Myrica leaves, dried
1 g Rose leaves, dried
3 g Rose hips, dried
2 g Heather flowers, dried
3 g Yarrow, dried
1 g Garden Angelica seeds dried
1 g Tansy Common (bitter) or
1 g Garden wormwood, or
2 g Beach wormwood (bitter)

Brewing time 1 week

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The schnapps wins a lot by
storage for several months
No. 13 Hunter schnapps ***
Hunter schnapps
Hunter schnapps
Procedure without liability

I got hold of dried rowanberries, so I will try it for the first time. Most dried herbs are easy to buy in specialty stores with spices. But Tansy Common, Beach wormwood and Garden Angelica seeds are not easy to obtain. Tansy Common contains the toxin thujon, which can only be ingested in very small amounts, but the plant contains many different essential oils such as camphor and tobacco flavor. In addition, the plant gives a bitter taste, which can also be produced with Garden wormwood and Beach wormwood. Garden wormwood is used in absinthe and also contains many different essential oils, including thujon (thujon occurs in the plant thuja) so it is also used wisely. Garden Angelica seeds and leaves are used for bjesk, vermouth, liqueur and gin. Also in Carlsberg Jacobsen beer. So it should be available.

Put all the herbs in the glass and pour a bottle of vodka over. Set the glass dark and warm for a week. Taste the schnapps and if it is good, then filter it and put it in a clean bottle. Store it away for a few months and check for sediment. If so, decant the schnapps. If it is to be sweetened, then add a few sugar lumps in the schnapps, and when they are dissolved, it is ready to drink.

 

Ingredients for a good Fishermann Bitter
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.

Spice schnapps brewing time 2 weeks:
5 g Licorice root, sliced
5 g Tormentil root, cut
5 g gentian root, sliced
5 g Althearod, sliced
4 g Eucaluptus leaves, dried
1 g Garden wormwood, dried
3 g Fennel seeds
3 g Anise seeds
3 g Peppermint, dried
2 g Coffee beans Espresso

Licorice brewing time 2 weeks:
Sweetened down to approx. 35% vol. With
10 g Heather honey
10 g Muscovado cane sugar
10 g Pure licorice in small brides
40 ml of clean water

Accessories:
2 pcs. 1 liter glass with lid

Note: Pure licorice in small fractures is also available with:
Anis - Mint - Appelsin - Citron - Viol
If you use these, you have to try fennel seeds, anise and peppermint in the spice schnapps. Using these licorice lozenges makes filtering easier, as the coffee filter does not stop so easily.
No. 14 Fishermann Bitter ***
Fishermann Bitter
Fishermann Bitter

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

It will be convenient to use 2 glasses with lids to make this bitter. Put all the dried herbs in a glass and pour 3/4 of the vodka on. Close the lid and set the mixture away warm, dark and dry, for 2 weeks.

In the second glass, add 40 ml of clean water, (I use bottled mineral water, without lime) heather honey, muscovado cane sugar and pure licorice in small fractures. Put the bottle in a water bath and heat to 50 ° C, shake well so that the ingredients dissolve and mix. Then pour in the rest of the vodka and close the lid. Placed on the "Fireplace shelf", where you can grab it for the next 2 weeks, so it can be shaken every day. The last week, the bottle is kept still to settle.

After 2 weeks, the herbs are filtered off and the clear bitter is placed in a clean bottle. The sweet mixture is carefully decanted in so that any sediment does not enter.

Tip: Should there be a very thick sediment left, dilute it with more vodka, shake the bottle daily for 1 week or 2. Put the bottle still for a week and decant the contents into the bottle with: Fishermann Bitter.

You can also pour everything into a glass and let it soak for 3 weeks, but there is a risk of problems with filtration. It is up to one to try oneself.

If you want Fishermann Bitter reduced to 30% vol., Use 150 ml of water. Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

 

Ingredients for a good 1 Single Bitter or 2
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

Spice schnapps brewing time 2 weeks:
5 g Licorice root, sliced
5 g gentian root, sliced
5 g Anise
4 pieces. Star anise
2 g Ginger, dried
3 g Lemongrass, dried
5 g Lemon peel, dried
5 g Orange peel, dried
5 g Pomeranian peel bitter, dried
2 g Garden wormwood, dried

Licorice session draw time 3 weeks:
Sweetened down to approx. 35% vol. With
10 g Heather honey
10 g Cane sugar
5 g Pure licorice in small brides
40 ml of clean water

Accessories:
2 pcs. 1 liter glass with lid

Note: Pure licorice in small fractures, see under schnapps no. 14. Using these licorice lozenges makes filtering easier, as the coffee filter does not stop so easily.
No. 15 1 Single Bitter or 2 ***
1 Single Bitter or 2
1 Single Bitter or 2

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

It will be convenient to use 2 glasses with lids to make this bitter. Put all the dried herbs in a glass and pour 3/4 of the vodka on. Close the lid and set the mixture away, warm, dark and dry, for 2 weeks.

In the second glass, add 40 ml of pure water, (I use mineral water from a bottle, without lime) heather honey, cane sugar and pure licorice in small fractures. Put the bottle in a water bath and heat to a maximum of 40 ° C, shake well so that the ingredients dissolve and mix. Then pour in the rest of the vodka and close the lid. Placed on the "Fireplace shelf", where you can grab it for the next 2 weeks, so it can be shaken every day. The last week, the bottle is kept still to settle.

After 2 weeks, the herbs are filtered off and the clear bitter is placed in a clean bottle. The sweet mixture is carefully decanted in so that any sediment does not enter. I have made a decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly.

Tips: Should there be a very thick sediment left, dilute it with more vodka, shake the bottle daily for 1 week or 2. Put the bottle still for a week and decant the contents into the bottle with: 1 Single Bitter or 2.

You can also pour everything into a glass and let it soak for 3 weeks, but there is a risk of problems with filtration. It is up to one to try oneself.

If you want 1 Single Bitter or 2 set down to 30% vol. Use 150 ml water. Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

 

Ingredients for a good Kras'Bjesk
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

Licorice Root
Angelikarod
Enzianrod
Rhubarb Rod
Carob - Johannesbrød missing
Anise
Star anise
Fennel
Safran
Buckbean is missing
Coriander
Grains of paradise is missing
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Juniper
Allspice
Hyben
Myrica gala
Yarrowa - Achillea
Beach Wormwood
Lavender flower
Chinese bark
Coffee beans
Kakaobønner / Kakaopulver
Pomeranian peel
Red Sandalwood
Orange
Heather honey
Chile
Pure licorice in small breaks

Brewing time 4 weeks

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

This Kras'Bjesk will be tested with the above herbs. I just need to find the weight distribution among the herbs.
No. 16 Kras'Bjesk
Kras'Bjesk
See Bjesk = Snaps
Vendsyssel Historical Museum
Kras'Bjesk
Kras'Bjesk
Procedure without liability

The recipe is under development - coming soon. Just need to find all 32 herbs and spices - 3 more are missing.

Instead of paradise grains you can use: Hazelnut, cardamom, pepper, ginger, lemon and cloves in a mild mixture. Paradise grain has become more popular in Europe as it is used in several beers, gin, Norwegian aquavit and gourmet cuisine.

Instead of buckwheat leaves you can use: Another herb that makes the schnapps bitter. But beware because there is already wormwood in it.

For carob, I have no idea for a replacement. Maybe Tonka beans?

 

Ingredients for a good sea buckthorn schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

500 g Sea buckthorn, berries cleaned of stems and leaves
25 g Rose hip shells, dried
6 pieces. Cardamom, whole
1 pk. Saffron 0.5 g, gives a good color
1 to 2 tbsp. Heather honey

Brewing time 2 months

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

Sea buckthorn is known by many names, such as sea buckthorn, sand buckthorn, dandelion and Nordic lemon due to its high content of vitamin C. The taste is, in my opinion, a little sour / sweet and a little bitter and somewhat delicate, however, without squeezing the mouth together.

Can well tolerate a little company with some delicate flavors.
No. 17 Buckthorn schnapps ***
Buckthorn schnapps
Buckthorn schnapps
Procedure without liability

My friend from the schnapps guild was in North Jutland in October, to visit the family who live off the east coast. Here there are "wild" many sea buckthorn, but as he said: "You will look like a ragged cat if you are not careful when picking". Therefore, it is recommended to wear gloves and then cut some branches of she plants where the berries sit close together. Put the bag in the freezer for a few days and then remove the berries with a suitable fork.

Pour the rosehip peel, cardamom, saffron, heather honey and the cleaned, rinsed and dried berries into a glass - in that order. Pour on a bottle of vodka, put the lid on and put the bottle away for 2 months cool, dark and dry.

When it is spring, the bottle is taken out and the contents are first sieved in a metal strainer, then you can squeeze the liquid out of the berries. The schnapps is then filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

Taste the schnapps and fill the bottle with a little more vodka. If it lacks sweetness, now is the time to do it. Save the bottle for another 1 month and it is ready to drink for Easter.

 

Ingredients for a good Aronia Liqueur
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

100 g Aronia berries, dried or
250 g Aronia berries, fresh
6 pieces. Cloves
1 piece. Cinnamon, whole
1 stick Vanilla Bourbon, cut
6 pieces. Star anise
1 piece. Nutmeg, crushed
150 g Heather honey (50 g see text)
100 ml Water only for dried aronia berries

Brewing time 2 months

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

Water and heather honey are mixed, heated so that it melts together, then mixed in the aronia liqueur. Aronia The liqueur ends up at 30% vol. With the stated amount of honey and water, only for dried aronia berries. Without water 36% vol.

The liqueur gets a deep red color.
No. 18 Aronia Liqueur ****
Aronia Liqueur
Aronia Liqueur

Want a strong Aronia Schnapps, do not come
water by, reduce heather honey to 50 grams
Procedure without liability

Aronia berries, also called sour berries, are well suited for an "Aronia Liqueur". It is tasty and full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Antioxidants fight "The Free Radicals" in the body, that's what James Bond said in a movie (forgot which one).

If fresh aronia berries are used, they are crushed first before being placed in the glass. I also suspect that you can put them in the freezer for a few days before using them. The dried aronia berries are simply put in the glass. Then put the dried spices in the glass. Heat water and honey so it melts together and put it in the glass. Pour on a bottle of vodka, put the lid on, put the bottle away for 2 months cool, dark and dry.

When it is spring, the bottle is taken out and the contents are first sieved in a metal strainer, then you can squeeze the liquid out of the berries. The schnapps is then filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

Taste the schnapps and fill the bottle with a little more vodka. If it lacks sweetness, now is the time to do it. Save the bottle for another 1 month and it is ready to drink for Easter.

Tip: I've heard that you can make jam from the aronia berries afterwards, but have not tried it. Judge for yourself. I squeezed the aronia berries through my Press Pistol, so there was almost nothing to make jam from, but I got 15% more schnapps out of them.

 

Ingredients for a good Old Danish Dram
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

20 g Rowanberries, fresh, frozen or
5 g Rowanberries, dried
6 pieces. Cloves
20 g Almonds, sliced
1 piece. Vanilla Bourbon stick, cut
1 g Cardamom, whole, crushed
1 Nutmeg, whole, crushed
15 pcs. The five peppers, whole, crushed
1 g Allspice, whole, crushed
5 g Pure licorice in small brides
1 tsp. Muscovado cane sugar, dark or
1 tsp. Heather honey
A little touch of Chili Pepper

Withdrawal time 2 weeks

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

You should not confuse this "Old Danish Dram" with the one you buy. I have made it a little more round and soft in taste - not so bitter. But with a touch of Chili Pepper. I add my Chili essence in drop form.
No. 19 Old Danish Dram ****
Old Danish Dram
Old Danish Dram
Procedure without liability

It is the rowanberries that make this dram bitter, therefore I have limited the amount to 20 g. I myself have good rowanberries in the garden, so these are the ones I use. I have only used dried rowan berries in ready-made spice mixes. I have weighed these rowanberries and come to approx. 5 g, which I then use in this recipe.

I am happy to sweeten a little with heather honey, it gives a good taste of heather flowers. Heather flowers can also be bought dried if you do not want to sweeten your schnapps. Muscovado cane sugar is also an option in schnapps that must be dark, it is a sugar that has not been refined. Has a better taste, the dark tastes a bit of licorice, the light tastes a bit of caramel. You choose.

Put all dried herbs in the glass and pour heather honey / Muscovado cane sugar on top. If fresh rowan berries are used, they are placed in the glass so that they keep the herbs under the vodka. Pour on a bottle of vodka, put the lid on, put the bottle away for 2 weeks warm, dark and dry.

Taste the schnapps and if it is good, filter it through 2 coffee filters. Gammel Dansk Dram is put away for a few weeks to get a homogeneous taste. Then it is ready to drink. All spice schnapps wins by aged for months of storage.

 

Ingredients for a good Mulberry schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37,5 % vol.

100 g Mulberries white, dried
5 g Lemongrass, dried
1/4 Lemon peel organic only the yellow
10 g Almonds, sliced, 10 pcs.
1 stick Vanilla Bourbon, cut
1 g Cardamom, whole, 10 pcs.
50 g Heather honey (see text)

Brewing time 2 months

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

I would recommend that you try the amount of Lynghonning depending on whether you want a mulberry schnapps or a mulberry liqueur. You can always add more heather honey when the pulling time is reached.

A little about mulberry leaves. Used as a tea in Asian countries and helps lower blood sugar. Drinking a few cups of tea after a meal reduces the digestion of starch (carbohydrates) in food and avoids blood sugar peaks.

The larvae of the silkworm also feed on mulberry leaves, and who has heard of a silkworm with diabetes?
No. 20 Mulberry schnapps *****
Mulberry schnapps
Mulberry schnapps

I got a fantastic good Mulberry Liqueur out of
this mixture. Should it be a Mulberry Schnapps
one should go down to 5 g Heather honey.
Procedure without liability

Mulberries are rarely found fresh in the trade as they decay very quickly. So if you want to make a mulberry schnapps, buy yourself a mulberry tree and plant it in the garden. There are several varieties: White mulberry, black mulberry, red mulberry and a hybrid between red and white mulberry. The tree can grow very well in Denmark in shelter and sun. I have heard that mulberries grow on Bornholm, and they can be picked in the late summer. I have bought organic mulberries, which originate from Turkey, which is known for its white mulberries, and are sold as dried mulberries.

Mulberries taste like blackberries and raspberries, but are a little flat in taste. Therefore, a little acid in the form of lemons must be added. Lemongrass also gives a little sweetness and lemon peel a little bitterness.

Fresh mulberries are very choppy and juicy a lot, so be careful with the color of black mulberries. The spices come in a glass along with the dried mulberries. Pour on a bottle of vodka, put the lid on, put the bottle away for 2 months cool, dark and dry.

When the brewing time has elapsed, the bottle is taken out and the contents are first sieved in a metal strainer, then you can squeeze the liquid out of the berries. The schnapps is then filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

Taste the schnapps and fill the bottle with a little more vodka; if it lacks sweetness, now is the time to do it. Store the bottle for another 1 month and it is ready to drink.

You could use a small sling/centrifuge for the reminiscences of all the extracts that you get. This will reduce spillage of the vodka that the berries have soaked up. Does anyone have a suggestion for one? It's fixed with my Philips juicer.

 

Ingredients for a good Absinthe Pernod Bitter
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Finsprit 60 % vol. or
700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
20 g Fennel seeds
20 g Anise seeds
6 pieces. Star anise
10 g Licorice root, sliced
7 g Coriander
5 g Hyssop, dried
1 Nutmeg, crushed
Choose 1 of the 3 wormwoods
in that order:

2 g Pontic wormwood, dried
2 g Beach wormwood, dried
2 g Garden wormwood, dried
1 g Peppermint, dried
1 g Lemon balm, dried
1 tsp. Heather honey
Green fruit color

Withdrawal time 1 month

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The first Absinthe Pernod I made was on Vodka 37.5% vol. because it's the one we normally use. It can thus be enjoyed without diluting it with water, and it tastes excellent. If fine spirits are used 60% vol., The drink should be diluted with water. See how .
No. 21 Absinthe Pernod Bitter ***
Absinthe Pernod Bitter
Absinthe Pernod Bitter
Procedure without liability

Absinthe was known in France in the artist milieu in the 1800s. In the 1920s, the sale of absinthe was banned because it was believed that the content of the drug Thujon drove people crazy. It was now probably the high alcohol percentage and then the amount of absinthe they drank. Thujon is found in wormwood, but in the amount of wormwood given in the recipe, there is no danger. A common EU rule says a maximum of 10 mg / liter of Thujon in an alcoholic beverage. If "Bitter" is written on the label, the limits are 35 mg per. liters. I will remember that for next time.

I have mentioned 3 types of wormwood and the least bitter first: Pontic wormwood (Roman wormwood) - Artemisia pontica, Beach wormwood - Artemisia maritima og Garden wormwood - Artemisia absinthium. All three can be used, I used garden wormwood because I could not get the other two. They can be bought at nurseries as a perennial plant, so you can grow them yourself in the garden.

Add all the dried herbs and a teaspoon. heather honey in the glass, pour a bottle of vodka on, put the lid on, put the bottle away for 1 month cool, dark and dry. When the brewing time has elapsed, the bottle is taken out and the contents are first sieved in a metal strainer, then you can squeeze the liquid out of the herbs. The schnapps is then filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

If the absinthe is clear enough, add green fruit color drop by drop until the desired color is obtained.

 

Ingredients for a good plum liqueur
Danish version     Next Down   

500 ml of the plum juice in Madeira
200 ml Captain Morgan Rum 40%

My alcohol blend for the plums consists of 400 ml Madeira 19%, 100 ml Captain Morgan Rum 40% and 100 ml Stroh Rum 80%. Mixing these three gives a mixture of 600 ml with 33% alcohol. In this mixture the plums suck for a year.

The plums are used for desserts, but there is always juice left over for approx. 22% alcohol that I collect and add more Captain Morgan Rum. This is the one described here:

Plum liqueur 28 % vol.
No. 22 Plum liqueur 2014 & 2015 ****
Plum liqueur 2014 & 2015
Plum liqueur 2014 & 2015
Procedure without liability

We have several Victoria plum trees in the garden and usually they give plums to the big "Gold Medal", just not in 2017. For several years I have been making Plums in Madeira - see recipe no. 6 - and the excess juice is not lost. It is stored for at least a year in a cool, dark and dry place. During this year, the wine has settled and become crystal clear. It is decanted into a new, clean bottle. I have made a decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. A 700 ml bottle of wine gives 500 ml before the sediment starts to flow. The bottle is filled with the same rum that was used for Plums in Madeira.

Captain Morgan Rum is inexpensive and extremely excellent for this purpose. There are so many flavor nuances that after a few years have formed a perfect whole. In the recipe - Plums in Madeira - I mention something about Atamon, which I used before I came up with making Plum Liqueur. I do not use it anymore, as it is not necessary when the "wine" in which the plums are, is at 33% alcohol.

I also collect the juice from Rompot and Cherry, recipe no. 4 and 5, treat this in the same way and get a fantastic dessert wine for ice cream. Nothing should be wasted.

 

Ingredients for a good Christmas orange schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
2 Oranges, organic
½ Lemon, organic
1.5 g Cloves 15 pcs.
12 g Cinnamon sticks 2 pcs.
1.5 g Cardamom seeds 15 pcs.
1 stick Vanilla Bourbon, cut
5 g Coffee beans Espresso 40 pcs.
1 tbsp. Heather honey

Brewing time 1 month

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The peel of the oranges and lemon is finely chopped off, so that very little of the white comes with it.

New: I have purchased a Swissgold gold filter, so it is used instead of a coffee filter. A Philips juice press/centrifuge is also included. But it has not yet been tried, as the spice schnapps is still brewing.
No. 23 Christmas orange schnapps ****
Christmas orange schnapps
Christmas orange schnapps
Procedure without liability

It will soon be Christmas, so a traditional Christmas schnapps must also be made for the "sweet" Christmas time. How sweet it should be, you decide for yourself by adding more or less heather honey. A tablespoon will be medium sweet, so you have a starting point for the dosage.

Start by rinsing the citrus fruits, remembering organic fruits, wiping them off for water and cutting off the peel finely. Put the shells in the glass. Peel the oranges so that the white comes off, divide them into small boats. Put them in the glass. The lemon is also peeled for the white, but only half of the lemon comes in the glass.

The spices and heather honey are put in the glass and a bottle of vodka is poured on. Shake the glass so that it all mixes well.

Put the bottle away for 1 month cool, dark and dry. When the brewing time has elapsed, the bottle is taken out and the contents are first sieved in a metal strainer, then you can squeeze the liquid out of the citrus fruits. The schnapps is then filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

Taste the schnapps and fill the bottle whole with a little more vodka. If it lacks sweetness, now is the time to do it. Save the bottle for another 1 month and it is ready to drink for Christmas.

 

Ingredients for a good Dill schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Rachmaninoff Vodka 37.5% vol.
2 Dill tops, fresh, organic maybe also
1 tbsp. Dill seeds, dried
1/4 Lemon peel, organic, only the yellow

Brewing time 2 to 4 days

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The dill tops - this Christmas season - are purchased pot dill, but if you have dill in the garden in the summer, you should use it, because this dill gives much more flavor. Withdrawal time 4 days.

The peel of the lemon is cut off finely, so that very little of the white comes with it. Withdrawal time 2 days.

An alternative option is to make the schnapps on crown dill or dill seeds, but I have not tried that yet.
No. 24 Dill schnapps
Dill schnapps
Dill schnapps
Procedure without liability

The many times I have been to Sweden for fish parties and crayfish feasts, there have been huge amounts of dill in all forms; and no crayfish without a dill schnapps. Hence this very easy recipe for a dill schnapps.

Buy two pots of organic dill and cut the top into small pieces. Put the tops in the glass, pour a bottle of vodka over. Set the glass warm, dark and dry for 2 to 4 days. Try tasting the schnapps every 24 hours to judge the taste. If there is a good dill taste, add the yellow lemon peels and let it soak for another 24 hours. Once the perfect taste has been achieved, the schnapps is filtered through a Swissgold gold filter into a new clean bottle, so no taste is lost in paper.

The schnapps can be drunk immediately and does not gain much when stored, on the contrary, the taste will diminish over time if it is exposed to sunlight. The schnapps is enjoyed at room temperature along with a good old-fashioned marinated herring. Of course, it should also be drunk for boiled crayfish in a dill soup.

 

Ingredients for a good Blue Sapphire Gin
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Castelgy London Dry Gin 37.5% vol.
5 g Juniper berries crushed, dried
2 g Licorice root, sliced
2 g Angelica root, sliced
4 g Java pepper / Cubeb pepper or
2 g Black pepper, 2 g Allspice and 2 g Nutmeg
1 g Coriander, dried
10 g Rod Cassia Cassia cinnamon, whole
2 g Orris root whole
12 pcs. Grains of Paridise or
2 g Cardamom seeds, dried 12 pcs.
1/4 Lemon peel, organic, only the yellow

Brewing time 1 week

The amount of herbs can be adjusted
I could not find Orrisrod in DK
Read here about Iris Palida

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

The peel of the lemon is cut off finely so that none of the white comes with it. The peel is lightly chopped.

After 1 week, taste the Gin. Judge for yourself whether it should brew more. Juniper must carry the taste of Gin, it is a condition to call it GIN. Another condition is that the alcohol strength is at least 37.5%. The other herbs should just give you little favorite notes for the whole in Gin.

The name suggests that the Gin should be blue, maybe I should try it next time. Gin was made in Holland in the 17th century from malted grain mesh and was called Genever, which was originally supposed to be a medicine for kidney disorders. Today, Holland has two kinds of Genever - Oude (old, straw colored) and Junge (young, light and clear) Genever. Several Geneva matures in oak barrels for 3 years. The English took over Gin production when they came into conflict with France and stopped the import of Cognac.
No. 25 Blue Sapphire Gin
Blue Sapphire Gin
Blue Sapphire Gin

The cheap Gin from Lidl just got a "spice" and became mild, round and with many notes of the added herbs.

The fruit of the juniper - Juniperus communis - is actually not a berry but an cone. The first year they are green, the second year they are dark blue. Only the dark blue cones are used, the green ones have a strong turpentine-like taste.

The cones are harvested in September and allowed to air dry for a few days. Gently pound them in a mortar without crushing them and pour them into a bottle. Pour on neutral alcohol so that it covers and let the bottle stand for a week. Check regularly after each day if it is necessary to pour more alcohol on, as the cones absorb the alcohol. Fill again to cover the cones. When the week has passed, strain the mixture through a Swissgold gold filter, do not filter with a coffee filter, aesthetic oils settle in the paper. Let the essence stand for a month so that it clears and a precipitate forms. Gently decant the essence into a beautiful bottle and mix with vodka for a pleasant taste. It's reminiscent of Gin. It's Gin.
Procedure without liability

It is a bit of a rate to make your own Gin, because the taste and color will probably be different when you do not use the steam infusion method. Gin production takes place in 3 different ways:

1. Cold compounding: Cold blend of a very strong alcohol and herbs also called "Bath Gin". You get an essence that is filtered and mixed with a neutral alcohol, which eventually has a strength of at least 37.5%. It is the cheapest way to produce gin and the only legal way to make gin in private.

2. Distilled Gin: This is the method by which most Gin is produced. The desired herbs are added to alcohol, in which they soak for a few days, after which the alcohol is redistilled. The method is slightly more expensive than method 1. Beefeater Gin is made this way.

3. Steam infusion: This is the method, with two or more consecutive distillations of a high concentrate of alcohol. With the "Steam infusion" method, the herbs do not touch the alcohol, but are hung in baskets over the alcohol distillate in the outlet funnel on the distillation apparatus, which is a Pot distiller. The alcohol strength is adjusted with water after distillation. It is an expensive method of making Gin. Hendrick, Blue Sapphire and Tangueray Gin are made this way.

So it's easy to see what I'm up to: "Bathtub" Gin. But it must be tried. The price of Gin determines the method by which it is made. 1 the very cheap Gin. 2 supermarkets Gin, Gordon and Beefeater. 3 the finer Gin, Hendrick, Blue Sapphire and Tangueray.

Put all the spices in the glass and pour a Castelgy London Dry Gin over - (It was on offer in Lidl for DKK 59.95). You can also try Rachmaninoff Vodka - (It was on offer in Lidl for DKK 49.95)

Set the glass warm, dark and dry for 1 week. Once the right flavor is obtained, the schnapps is filtered through a Swissgold gold filter into a new clean bottle, so no flavor is lost in paper.

It's an attempt and the result comes here. The experiment ended satisfactorily, the Gin tasted good, was mild, round and had many notes of herbs. But I could not get the "colorless" that a purchased Gin is. Initial filtration as described above, but it was necessary to filter through a coffee filter to get it completely clear - ended with a light brownish-yellow color.

In order for the drink to be called GIN, it is a condition that it is made on juniper, and that the alcohol strength is at min. 37.5%. Then the manufacturers can add its own flavors in the form of fruits, seeds, herbs and roots. Some of the most commonly used spices are seen here: Coriander, Java pepper, Grain of Paradise, Allspice, Angelica root, Licorice root, Orris root (Iris Pallida), Cassia cinnamon, Cardamom seeds, Chinese bark = (Quinine), Quinine pure, Wormwood, Rose petals, Blue Lotus flower, Chamomile flower, Elderflower, Violet flower, Saffron, Laurel leaves, Ginger, Vanilla, Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Black currant and Cucumber. Should you know of more, I would love to hear from you.

 

Ingredients for a good breakfast schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Rachmaninoff Vodka 37.5% vol.
1 Orange, organic, only the yellow peel
½ Lemon, organic, only the yellow peel
1 g Star anise, crushed
5 g Licorice root, sliced
5 g Galangal root, Alpinia officinarum, sliced
1 stick Vanilla Bourbon, cut
1.5 g Lemon balm, dried
10 pcs. Peppercorns, black
3 g Kinabark
0.25 g Safran ½ pk.
5 g Muscovado cane sugar, dark

Draw time 2 weeks for herbs and
1 week for citrus fruits and sugar

Accessories:
2 pcs. 1 liter glass with lid

The peel of orange and lemon is finely chopped off, so that very little of the white comes with it. Feel free to use a couple of boats of each in the vodka. Twice as many orange boats as lemon boats.
No. 26 Breakfast Schnapps
Breakfast Schnapps
Breakfast Schnapps
Procedure without liability

This lunch schnapps I leave suched separately in two glasses. That's because I want to control the citrus flavor by adding more or less in the final phase. Divide the vodka in 2 and use half on each extract. Alternatively, make a whole bottle of vodka of 2 to 3 oranges and 1 lemon so you get a powerful essence. It can later always be used for many other spice schnapps. But then do not add sugar.

Put the herbs in the glass and pour the vodka over. Decide for yourself whether there should be sugar in now or later. Set the glass warm, dark and dry for 2 weeks. Once the right taste is achieved, the schnapps is filtered through a Swissgold gold filter into a new clean bottle, so no taste is lost in paper.

The breakfast schnapps is flavored with citrus vodka (possibly sugar). This lunch schnapps is powerful because the brewing time is long, so there may be schnapps drinkers who want to dilute it with extra vodka. So just do it. It gains even more when stored for a few months.

Then both glasses are filtered and I have tasted both extracts. I made an essence. They are mixed in proportion 3 parts herbs and 1 part citrus fruits. It gives a fresh taste of orange, lemon and many notes of the other spices. The 5 grams of muscovado cane sugar is just right, it is equivalent to 7 grams per liter.

 

Ingredients for a good Goodnight Dram
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Rachmaninoff Vodka 37.5% vol.
10 g Valerian root, cut
5 g Passion flower, dried
3 g Damia leaves, dried
2 g Hops, dried
2 Meadweed, dried
2 g Oregano / Spanish hops, dried
2 g Lemongrass, dried
3 g Lemon balm, dried
3 g St. John's wort, dried
3 g Yarrowa - Achillea, dried

Option: 5 g Cane sugar or Heather honey

Draw time 2 weeks

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid
Herbs
No. 27 Goodnight Dram
Goodnight Dram
Goodnight Dram
Procedure without liability

Valerian root has been known in Denmark for many years as a natural remedy used for insomnia. Extracts of valerian root - both in tea and in schnapps - are not toxic, but you have to be careful with excessive amounts if you have to drive a car or work with machines, it has a relaxing and sleep-inducing effect. That's why my dram is also called "Goodnight Dram".

Valerian root is mixed with the other herbs, which are also known for its soothing and relaxing effects, and will give a good taste in the schnapps. Pour on a bottle of vodka and set the glass warm, dark and dry for 2 weeks. Once the right taste is obtained, the schnapps is filtered through a Swissgold gold filter into a new clean bottle, so no taste is lost in paper.

Option: If you think this dram just needs to be rounded up, add a little sugar or heather honey. Just be aware that honey gives a blurry tinge to the schnapps, but it is livable.

 

Ingredients for a Good Beach Wormwood Bitter
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Rachmaninoff Vodka 37.5% vol.
5 g Strand Wormwood, dried

Draw time 36 to 48 hours
at room temperature

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

Probably the most famous herb for a bjesk and the easiest to make. Only 2 ingredients are used and a few hours. It is important to taste after 24 hours and then still every 12 hours. The glass should be warm, then it will go faster. Ready to drink after a few days.

Is suitable for the Christmas table with beer, smoked eel and marinated herring.
No. 28 Beach Wormwood Bitter
Beach Wormwood Bitter
Beach Wormwood Bitter
Procedure without liability

When buying wormwood, you must be aware that there are 3 types of wormwood: Garden wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) which is the most common wormwood in the garden, Beach wormwood (Artemisia maritima) which is widespread along the west coast of Jutland, where it grows together with mare straw, beach cabbage and yellow snipe, Roman wormwood (Artemisia Pontica) used to make absinthe.

I have only used the first 2 and here Beach wormwood is definitely preferable. It is more "soft" in taste and much more aromatic. Disadvantages are that it is expensive to buy dried, but for next year we will have to assemble it ourselves in July/August.

There are also gray buckthorn (Artemisia vulgaris), which belong to the same family and give a strong bitter taste in the schnapps. I also mean that they call it "Poor Man's Pepper", but ask Jørgen Skouboe from 'Nak & Æd', I think they gathered gray buckthorn for their dishes.

Use garden wormwood for the schnapps with many herbs to give a bitter taste, but use beach wormwood for a "Solo" bjesk. When I find Roman wormwood, I have to come up with a rating of the herb.

 


Ingredients for good recipes from Hirtshals
Danish version     Next Down   


No. 29 Bjesk recipes from Hirtshals Museum, made from my essences, mixed and diluted with approx. 600 ml vodka 37.5% vol.
There can be a difference in the taste of essences, so therefore the measurements are only a guideline. After 2 weeks they are tasted and the measurements are adjusted.

Hirtshals Bjesk

Hirtshals Bjesk
Hirtshals Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 15 cl is very fine

3 cl Pors essens
3 cl Yarrowa - Achillea essens
3 cl Juniper essence
3 cl St. John's wort essence 3 cl Potentilla essence

Remove 15 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Museums Bjesk

Museums Bjesk
Museums Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 10 cl is very fine

1 cl Pors essens
6 cl Potentilla essens
3 cl Wild Thyme essence



Remove 10 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Vendsyssel Bjesk

Vendsyssel Bjesk
Vendsyssel Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 10 cl is very fine

4 cl Pors essens
4 cl Juniper essence
2 cl Beach wormwood essence



Remove 10 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Dune Bjesk

Dune Bjesk
Dune Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 10 cl is very fine

4 cl Pors essens
3 cl Yarrowa - Achillea essens
3 cl St. John's wort essence



Remove 10 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix the essences in. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.

 

Ingredients for good recipes from Hirtshals
Danish version     Next Down   
 

Chræn Mans Bjesk

Chræn Mans Bjesk
Chræn Mans Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 9 cl is very fine

3 cl Beach wormwood essence
2 cl Ginger essence
3 cl Nutmeg essence
1 cl Cloves essence


Remove 9 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix the essences in. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Mose Konens Bjesk

Mose Konens Bjesk
Mose Konens Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 15 cl is very fine

3 cl Blackthorm essence
3 cl Tansy essence
3 cl Yarrow - Achillea essence
3 cl Pors essens
3 cl Rum dark

Remove 15 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Spices Havens Bjesk

Spices Havens Bjesk
Spices Havens Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 10 cl is very fine

2 cl Sage Essence
2 cl Wild thyme essence
2 cl Peppermint essence
2 cl Dill essence
2 cl Hops essence

Remove 10 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.
Chilipeber Bjesk

Chili pepper Bjesk
Chili pepper Bjesk
Bjesk is tasted and 9 cl is very fine

1 cl Chili pepper essence
2 cl Lemon essence
4 cl Orange essence
2 cl Anise essens
1 to 2 tsp. Heather honey

Remove 9 cl from a bottle of vodka and mix in the essences. Shake the bottle well and let it soak for at least 2 weeks.

 

Ingredients for sun eggs
Danish version     Next Down   


I want to come up with a recipe for Sun Egg, which is an excellent snack for a good bite and a good, glass of beer

8 pcs. Eggs, fresh
2 pcs. Onions, only the outer yellow onion scales or
1 tbsp. Turmeric
1 piece. Red chili pepper
1 L Water
260 g Salt
Brine: ca. 20% and 16 ° Baumé
Open the Brine Excel spreadsheet in a new window

If you want red eggs:
1 Beetroot large, peeled slices
or
1/4 Red cabbage finely chopped

Serving:
Olive oil
White wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
HP Sauce
English sauce
Tomato ketchup
Tabasco

Choose for yourself what and how much
of the above you want to use.
29 A Sun eggs
Sun eggs
Sun eggs in onion peels as a snack

Sunny eggs for a lunch of homemade marinated white herring. Once the eggs have been in the brine for a few weeks, the yolk gradually turns black. It is normal and has no effect on health. It is called a "Sørgerand" = "Mourning Edge" and occurs because iron sulphide is formed - FeS - the iron (Fe) comes from the yolk and the sulfur (S) comes from the white. It also occurs if the egg is boiled for too long.
Procedure without liability

Sun eggs is a Sønderjysk regional dish that you used when you had to cure a hangover, or just enjoy a snack with a dram and a glass of beer. You can make sun eggs in several "funny" ways, you can add different colors and patterns by using root vegetables / cabbage and cracking the shell in different ways.

Boil water with salt and the cleaned root vegetables (onion peel, chili peppers, sliced beets or sliced red cabbage), cool the brine. Boil the eggs for 20 minutes over medium heat, cool them in cold water. Roll an egg on the kitchen table and gently crack the shell with the palm of your hand, it will give different patterns on the egg white when it has been in the brine for at least a week. If the shell is removed before the eggs enter the red brine, the whole white turns red.

Choose what color you want on your eggs. Yellow: onion scales or turmeric. Red: beetroot or red cabbage.

Put the hard-boiled eggs in a decoction glass and add the filtered brine so that it covers all the eggs. All eggs MUST be under the brine, use a small plate if necessary, the eggs sink to the bottom after a few days in the brine. The eggs must soak a week before they are eaten. The brine is a strong brine, so the shelf life in the refrigerator is approx. 3 weeks.

Serving: Cut the egg lengthwise, take out half the plum, and season with the spices mentioned in that order. Place the plum on with the cutting surface facing down.

 

I make my essences like this
Danish version     Next Down   


In a 250 ml bottle with a screw cap I put 20 g roots / bark / hard seeds, 10 g plants / flowers / soft seeds or 5 g of some strong / bitter plants, such as wormwood / horseradish. Saffron essence is made on 1 g. Vanilla essence is made on 4 sticks. The bottle is filled with vodka and left to cool, dark and dry for a few weeks. All roots / bark draw for (at least) 4 weeks, plants / flowers / seeds pull for (at least) 2 weeks, garden wormwood draw for 2 days / beach wormwood draw for 4 days / gray buckthorn draw for 4 days warm, dark and dry. The mixture is then passed through a Swissgold gold filter into a new, clean bottle. If a sediment forms, you can either decant the essence or filter it through a coffee filter to get it completely clear. My porse essence is now ready and I want to make a bjesk according to the above recipes. Do yourself the favor of making the essences crystal clear, it saves later work with filtration / decanting.


Nogle af mine 91 essenser
Top image: Some of my 91 essences. Juniper and licorice root are still drawing. Æ, Ø and Å are not available on my label printer.
Bottom image: List of my essences in stock. Jasmine flower essence with red writing I can not find. Have found it now.

 

Ingredients for a good Pors Schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Rachmaninoff Vodka 37.5% vol.
20 g Pors catkin (flowers), picked early spring
or
20 g Pors leaves, picked summer and autumn
6 cl Sherry Choose your own Sherry
1 small twig of rosemary
2 g Licorice root
2 g Oak, dried

2.5 g sugar / heather honey. See tips

Draw time for leaves 2 to 4 weeks
Draw time for catkin (flowers) 4 to 8 weeks
at room temperature

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid

Tips: If you want a "pure" pors schnapps without sherry, rosemary, licorice root and oak, you should (maybe) add 1 tsp. sugar or 1 tsp. heather honey, which gives the schnapps a round taste. An alternative to Sherry could be Vermouth - sweet or dry.

Pors Schnapps gets better and better after a few months of aged.
No. 30 Pors schnapps
Pors schnapps
Pors schnapps made from herbs
See the recipe on the left

Pors schnapps made on essences:
9 cl Pors, 3 cl Sherry, ½ cl Rosmarin,
½ cl Licorice red, ½ cl Eg
Procedure without liability

Pors schnapps are not only made on pors, but are added with a few other spices. Aalborg Pors schnapps 40% was launched in 1965, which I knew and was frequently used for fried eels, was added sherry, rosemary by infusion and caramel (maybe licorice root and honey)? After De Danske Spritfabrikker founded in 1881 passed to other hands (Swedish Wine and Spirits 1999 - Pernod Ricard 2008 - Norsk Arcus 2012 - Finnish Altia), the recipe has changed. Now oak has been added, or stored in oak barrels? Thylandia Pors schnapps 42% are only made on fresh porse leaves. I have not tasted it yet. Braunstein also makes a Pors schnapps 38% no idea what it's made of.

Pick your fresh pors spices and put it in the glass along with the other herbs. Pour on your favorite vodka and set the glass warm, dark and dry for the next 4 weeks to 8 weeks. When the brewing time has elapsed, the bottle is taken out and the coarse contents are first sieved in a metal sieve, then the schnapps can be filtered through a coffee filter and placed in a clean bottle.

A Pors schnapps made according to this recipe will only get better after aged for a few months. The color will also darken with time (do not stand in sunlight).

Taste the extract regularly and finish when you seem to have hit your personal taste.

 

Ingredients for a good Christmas Bjesk - Essence
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
5 g Angostura bark *
Orange peel of 2 organic, only the yellow
Lemon peel of ½ organic, only the yellow
2 g Galangal root, Alpinia officinarum
1 g Ginger
5 g Coffee beans
3 g Cinnamon whole
5 pieces. Cardamom seeds whole
4 g China bark, Cinchona
5 g Licorice root
3 g Nutmeg, ½ nut
10 pcs. Carnations whole
4 g Sandalwood
2 g Beach wormwood **
1 piece. Vanilla

It is difficult to buy angostura bark *,
then try with 2 g oak bark and 2 g gentiana root.
Beach wormwood ** is added for the last 3 to 4 days.

Draw time 4 weeks at room temperature.
Should be diluted as desired.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.
No. 31 Christmas Bjesk
Christmas Bjesk
Christmas Bjesk
Procedure without liability

This Christmas Bjesk is made to be diluted - a kind of essence - and to be added to other "Bjesker" as desired. Put all the dried herbs in the glass (except the beach wormwood) and divide the orange and lemon peels, which come on top. It helps keep the herbs under the vodka. Put a bottle of vodka on so that it covers and set the glass warm, dark and dry for 3 weeks.

Taste the Christmas Bjesk and if it is satisfactory, add beach wormwood and let it soak for another 3 to 4 days. If you only have garden wormwood, you may only need to let it soak for 1 to 2 days.

When the right taste has been achieved, the Christmas Bjesk is filtered through a Swissgold gold filter into a new clean bottle. You can then let the bottle stand and settle for a few weeks and then decant it. If you can't wait, filter the Christmas Bjesk through a coffee filter. But remember citrus fruits tend to give a blurred "bjesk".

When the Christmas Bjesk is ready, it can be used to add other "Bjesker" or drunk independently, if diluted with an appropriate amount of vodka. Try it out.

The first bjesk that I want to try the Christmas Bjesk in, is "Ugly Krumpen" below. "Ugly Krumpen" was a gentleman who lived a free and cheerful life in a hurry with several mistresses. There was just the "Chin" of it that these mistresses were married ladies. He also ended up in jail for a few years. The myths about Stygge Krumpen are many, read them yourself.

 

Ingredients for a good Stygge Krumpen Bjesk
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
3 cl Galium verum essence, see bjæsk
3 cl Christmas Bjesk, see above
3 cl Bitter orange essence
3 cl Pors essens
3 cl Safran essence
2 cl Beack wormwood essence
3 cl Potentilla essence

Draw time 2 weeks at room temperature.

Accessories:
Measuring glass of 250 ml
No. 32 Stygge Krumpen Bjesk
Stygge Krumpen Bjesk
Stygge Krumpens Coat of arms
The mill wheel
Procedure without liability

This bjesk is very easy to make once all the essences are made. Pour 250 ml of vodka from a bottle into a measuring cup. Store the vodka in a bottle for later use - new essences?

Measure out all the above essences (230 ml in total) and put them in the bottle with your favorite vodka. Shake the bottle to mix the essences.

Put the bottle away for a few weeks warm, dark and dry. Wait for all the ingredients to mix into a homogeneous liquid. Enjoy.

When the time comes for the first taste test, I will assess whether the Bjesken should be diluted with more vodka, or whether it is suitable according to the recipe. It is often the case that the herbs are more or less powerful in taste and aroma.

 

Ingredients for a good "BåjWåj" Bjesk from Hugo's recipe
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
3 cl Galium verum essence, see bjæsk
3 cl St. John's wort essence
3 cl Myrica essence
2 cl Riga Black Balsam
1½ cl Beach wormwood essence

According to signe, it should mean "Bådvand = Boat water" in North Jutland. Bjesken was named bjesk of the year in 2017.


Draw time 2 weeks at room temperature.

Accessories:
Measuring glass of 125 ml
No. 33 "BåjWåj" Bjesk
BåjWåj Bjesk
"BåjWåj" Bjesk from Hugo
Procedure without liability

This bjesk is very easy to make once all the essences are made. Pour 125 ml of vodka from a bottle into a measuring cup. Store the vodka in a bottle for later use - new essences?

Measure out all the above essences (125 ml in total) and put them in the bottle with your favorite vodka. Shake the bottle to mix the essences.

Put the bottle away for a few weeks warm, dark and dry. Wait for all the ingredients to mix into a homogeneous liquid. Enjoy.

When the time comes for the first taste test, I will assess whether the Bjesken should be diluted with more vodka, or whether it is suitable according to the recipe. It is often the case that the herbs are more or less powerful in taste and aroma.

I have tasted the Bjesk and there is no need to do more with it. Just leave it to mature for a few more weeks.

 

Ingredients for a good Angst & Uro Bitter 2018
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Absolut Vodka 40% vol.
1 g Allspice whole, crushed
1 g Anise seeds whole, crushed
5 g Orange peel, dried
5 g Catechu, astringent Acacia Catechu
5 g Gentiana root, sliced
2 g Turmeric root dried, sliced ??
1 g Hibiscus flower
2 g Ginger dried, sliced
3 g Cinnamon whole, crushed
2 g Cardamom seeds, crushed
3 g Chinese bark, cut
1 g Cumin seeds, crushed
1 g Coriander seeds, crushed
1 g Cloves whole, crushed
5 g Licorice root, whole cut
2 g Garden Wormwood, dried
1 g Maté, dried
1 g Nutmeg, dried
3 g Nutmeg whole, crushed
5 g Dandelion root, sliced
6 pieces. Pure licorice in small brides
3 g Sandalwood red, cut
5 g *Angostura bark
2 g **Canada wild ginger, sliced ??
2 g **Virginia snake root, cut
10 g ***Heather honey

Draw time 4 weeks at room temperature.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.
Bottle with Drop Counter .
No. 34 Angst & Uro Bitter 2018
Angst & Uro Bitter 2018
Angst & Uro Bitter 2018
Anxiety & Uncertainty Bitter 2018

It must become a powerful tasting essence,
as it is only used drop by drop in drinks, otherwise you will hear:
The scream

Mixed on February 27, 2018
Filtered on March 25, 2018
Procedure without liability

This Anxiety & Uncertainty Bitter 2018 is used drop by drop in other alcohols, such as Akvavit and Vodka as well as in Drinks. An Absolut Vodka 40% vol is used here. However, if you can get a vodka at several percent, and want to sacrifice the money on this, then just do it.

Just omit **Canada wild ginger and **Virginia snake root. You may want to use a little more dried ginger and turmeric root. Instead of 5 grams *Angostura bark, 2.5 grams of oak bark and 2.5 grams of galanga root are used. Angostura trifoliata is a medicinal plant native to South America. Its bark is usually misunderstood, which was used in Angostura brand bitters, named after the city Angostura i Venezuela. However, Angostura bark is used in a number of other aromatic bitters, such as Abbott's Bitters.

It will be difficult to obtain these herbs. Angostura bark must not be sold in the EU. Canada wild ginger. Virginia snake root is a totally protected plant. ***Heather honey is added as desired, but 10 g to 700 ml of vodka is appropriate.

The herbs are comminuted and soak into alcohol, filtered through canvas, sand, and sweetened with heather honey. It is the official procedure for several thousand liter production. But first use a Swissgold gold filter and then a coffee filter for the small production of 700 ml.

After filtration, the bitter matures cold, dark and dry for several months. If there is a sediment in the bottle, the bitter is decanted into a new clean bottle. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. Maybe more vodka needs to be refilled after filtration. Can you find small bottles with drop spouts, then fill some of these. Anxiety & Uncertainty Bitter 2018 is now ready for use.

Note: I could not obtain Catechu, astringent Acacia Catechu. See Astringent. Try biting into a beaten berry and you will get the feeling of "Astringent". Squeezes the mouth together. You could possibly add 10 pcs. sloe, or 1 pc. cut organically quince kvæde with peel. I have not done that and it was not necessary.

 

Ingredients for a good Wunderberg Bitter
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Absolut Vodka 40% vol.
5 g Alantrod Inula helenium, cut
1 g Allspice whole, crushed
5 g Angelica
2 g Anise seeds, crushed
5 g Organic lemon peel only the yellow
5 g Croton eluteria Cascarilla bark
This bark is used in Campari and Vermouth
Tastes a bit of vanilla, citrus and oak bark
5 g Gentiana, cut
2 g Fennel seeds, crushed
5 g Rose hip shells, dried
5 g Chinese Bark, cut, (Quinine)
6 g Chinese Cinnamon whole, crushed
1 g Cloves whole
10 g Licorice root, sliced
1 g Heather flower, dried
3 pieces. Almonds bitter, sliced
10 g Almonds sweet, sliced
10 g Nuts, sliced
10 g Orange Peel, dried
3 g Peppercorns black whole, crushed
30 g Rowanberries, fresh from frost
2 g Sandalwood
3 pieces. Stjerneanis hel
2 g Beach Wormwood, dried
1/4 Vanilla bean

The famous Underberg Bitter is composed of various herbs from 43 countries around the world, even from Scandinavia - maybe Denmark, Rowanberries from Stevns? Here are a few herbs that give a good taste to a Wunderberg Bitter. Maybe a little heather-honey? So the women can join.

Draw time 4 to 8 weeks at room temperature.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.
No. 35 Wunderberg Bitter
Wunderberg Bitter
Wunderberg Bitter

Two new Underberg
have been launched in Denmark
Greenberg with honey for women
Brasilberg in large bottles

Mixed on March 8, 2018
Filtered on April 6, 2018
Procedure without liability

Everyone knows Underberg Bitter, and it's an attempt to make a bitter that tastes like the original bitter. In the original Underberg Bitter there are herbs from 43 different countries. Then, by nature, there must be at least 43 different herbs. The alcohol strength is 44% Vol. and available in small 2 cl bottles. Here I use an Absolut Vodka 40% vol. Try the recipe yourself and judge if you managed to make a "Wunderberg Bitter" that tastes good.

A new Underberg Greenberg Bitter was launched in 2012 specifically for women. The alcohol percentage is reduced to 22% Vol. but the contents of the bottle are raised to 4 cl. Flower honey has been added (as well as other herbs with a not so bitter taste)?

Another bitter from the same family is: Brasilberg Bitter at 42% Vol. in 100 cl bottles. It is a grandson of Underberg's founder, who settled in Brazil and made his own bitter of herbs and plants from the Amazon region. It is darker and sweeter, not so bitter, but an expensive bottle.

Put all the herbs and fruits in the glass and pour a bottle of vodka over. The bottle is closed with a rubber gasket and placed in a pot of water. The water is slowly heated to a maximum of 40 °C and no more. The pot should like to keep this temperature for approx. 4 hours, after which the boiling bottles are set at room temperature until the contents have taken this temperature. Now there is negative pressure in the decoction bottles. The bottles are kept warm, dark and dry for 4 to 8 weeks. Then the contents are first filtered coarsely, later through a coffee filter.

The Wunderberg Bitter is poured into a new, clean bottle and left to cool, dark and dry for a few months, where it settles and matures. It can then be decanted into the permanent bottle from which it is served. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly.

Note: I could not obtain Croton eluteria Cascarilla bark. Should maybe try adding a little Campari as this bark is part of Campari. Not too much, the bitter should reluctantly become too "thin".

 

Ingredients for a good "De Riges Balsam"
Danish version     Next Down   

2 x 700 ml Absolut Vodka 40% vol.
10 g Orange peel, organically dried
5 g Valerian root, sliced ??
½ Cup Birch buds
60 g Blueberries, fresh or frozen
60 g Blackberries, fresh or frozen
5 g Chicory root, sliced
5 g Oak bark, dried
20 g Hazelnuts, sliced
2 g Garden wormwood, dried
60 g Raspberries, fresh (frost)
10 g Ginger, dried
10 g Coffee beans, whole espresso
5 g Kalmusrod, cut
5 g Licorice root, sliced
1 Handful Lindeblomst, only the white
70 g Heather honey
6 g Nutmeg, whole but crushed
5 g Pepper black, crushed
5 g Peppermint, dried
60 g Prunus padus, Bird Cherry, Bird Cherries, Fresh or Frosted
5 g Bitter orange
1 g Arnica montana, Guldblomme = Gold flower, only the yellow flower. The plant is moderately toxic. Read the page first.

Riga Black Balsam is composed of 24 different herbs, berries and honey, here are 22 kinds out of the 24. Riga Balsam was first made in 1752 by pharmacies Kunze in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is a bittersweet liqueur, which is made from many local herbs. 1st pull 4 weeks 2. pull 4 weeks at room temperature. The two features are mixed and filtered.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.
No. 36 "De Riges Balsam"
De Riges Balsam
Riga Black Balsam in ceramic bottle

This is what the street scene in Riga 1973 looked like
Valnu iela, a street in the old town of Riga

I had no birch buds, so I
used 10 cl Birkesnapse Liqueur No. 38
Procedure without liability

Not everyone knows Riga Black Balsam, but it is an attempt to make a Balsam that tastes like the original Riga Black Balsam. The recipe for the original Riga Balsam is secret and consists of 24 herbs, berries and honey. The alcohol strength is 45% Vol. Here I use an Absolute Vodka 40% vol. Try the recipe yourself and judge if you managed to make "De Riges Balsam" that tastes good.

My first acquaintance with Riga Black Balsam was in 1973, when I was part of a Danish trade delegation to Riga. In the absence of Old Danish, we drank Riga Balsam. Balsam is a term for a drug, and we were in favor of "Prevention" rather than "Cure". It worked. One place where Riga Balsam has made its way is in Marstal on Ærø with the sailors. The merchant ships from Marstal have Riga Balsam in the medicine cabinet.

When I use a lot of herbs, honey and a long brewing time, I like to heat the mixture to create a vacuum. Put all the herbs and fruits in the glass and pour a bottle of vodka over. The bottle is closed with a rubber gasket and placed in a pot of water. The water is slowly heated to a maximum of 40 °C and no more. The pot should like to keep this temperature for approx. 4 hours, after which the boiling bottles are set at room temperature until the contents have taken this temperature. Now there is negative pressure in the decoction bottles. The bottles are kept warm, dark and dry for 4 to 8 weeks. Then the contents are first filtered coarsely, later through a coffee filter.

Riga Black Balsam is poured into a new, clean bottle and left to cool, dark and dry for a few months, where it settles and matures. It can then be decanted into the permanent bottle from which it is served. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. Original Riga Black Balsam is served from ceramic bottles.

 

Ingredients for a good Pirate Blackcurrant Rum
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
500 g Blackcurrants fresh or frozen
30 g Heather honey

Make a Spiced Rum
700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
½ cl Allspice (2 pcs.)
1 tsp. Orange peel, sweet
½ cl Ginger (1 cm)
½ cl Coffee beans (4 pcs.)
½ cl Cinnamon (1 g)
2 cl Caramel (1 tbsp.)
½ cl Cardamom (3 pcs.)
2 pcs. Almonds bitter, sliced
1 tbsp. Almonds, flakes
10 g Molasses or Muscovado cane sugar
½ cl Cloves (3 pcs.)
1 tsp. Bitter orange peel
½ tsk. Pink peppercorns (6 pcs.)
1 cl Vanilla, or 1 stick vanilla, split

Pirate Blackcurrant Rum is made in two glasses. In the first glass come blackcurrant, heather honey and vodka. If you make it from fresh black currants and can get hold of fresh green leaves, then add 10 to 20 pieces. Draw time 4 weeks.

In glass number two, a "Spiced Rum" is made according to the above recipe. It should be noted that I have made it on my essences, therefore the measurements are in cl. The dimensions in ( ) indicate the quantity in pieces or grams for herbs. Draw time 1 week.

Accessories:
2 pcs. 1 liter glass with lid.
No. 37 Pirate Blackcurrant Rum
Pirate Blackcurrant Rum

Pirate Blackcurrant Rum

Mixed on April 3, 2018
Procedure without liability

Start with black currants as this blend takes the longest time. Pour the blackcurrants into the glass along with fresh leaves from the bush. Add heather honey and pour on vodka. Close the jar tightly with a rubber gasket and put it away - cool, dark and dry - let it soak for 4 weeks, after which it is first filtered coarsely, later through a coffee filter. One week before the blackcurrants are done, put the "Spiced Rum" over. Filter the mixture through a coffee filter and then mix "Blackcurrant" and "Rum" together in a large bottle (1.5 liters).

Now there are two ways to use the blackcurrant leftovers: Squeeze them through my Squeeze Pistol, or make jam from them. Simply add more sugar and give a very short boil. Pour hot into jam jar and close immediately. Store cool, dark and dry.

If you squeeze the blackcurrants, the juice comes up in the large bottle and is refilled so that the bottle is filled.

Now the blackcurrant rum must mature and settle, so store it away for at least 4 months before decanting the bottle. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. You pick blackcurrants in August and for Christmas you have the most beautiful Blackcurrant Rum. Just call it: "Pirate Blackcurrant Liqueur".

I will return with more info on blackcurrant jam when that time comes. I bought 2 bags of frozen blackcurrants of 300 g in Rema 1000 for only DKK 10.00. Leaves can of course not be obtained in April.

The blackcurrants had drawn so much vodka that I had to squeeze the berries to get some juice. Therefore no blackcurrant jam this time.

 

Ingredients for a good Birch schnapps Liqueur
Danish version     Next Down   

2 x 700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
7.5 liters of birch juice

Tapped the first week of April from a birch tree with a diameter of at least 20 cm. A hole of 12 mm is drilled obliquely upwards approx. 10 cm into the trunk 2 m up. A nozzle item no. 364835 (see my press gun) and a hose is fitted. 4 to 5 liters of juice run in 3 to 4 days.

Accessories:
An empty 5 liter vinegar can (cleaned). New white mouthpiece for silicone. 1 meter 12 mm silicone hose. 2 meters of string for attaching cans to the tree trunk.

When the hole is to be closed, a branch is cut off the trunk and the branch is debarked, fitted to the hole and knocked in. I usually dab the spot with Atamon to prevent fungus. Some use tar to cover the hole after the branch is knocked in.
No. 38 Birch schnapps Liqueur
Birch schnapps Liqueur

Birch schnapps Liqueur

Tapped April 10, 2018
Procedure without liability

Raw birch juice can be used in several ways. For the production of wine and for the production of a good Birch schnapps Liqueur. If you want to make wine, search the web and find great recipes. Use my Excel spreadsheet "Sukkermåling Birk" to find the amount of sugar that needs to be added to obtain a suitable alcohol strength.

Here I will describe how I made 2 bottles of 700 ml Birch schnapps Liqueur at 26% vol. in 5 days. 7.4 liters of raw birch juice were drained in 5 days and boiled for 6 hours to 430 ml = 435 g concentrate = 1.012 g/ml. Reduction 7400/430 = 17.2 times. According to the "books", birch juice contains only 1% solids, whereas maple juice contains several % solids. Maple syrup is made from the juice of Sukker-Ahorn. Here you can see how they drain juice in Canada of the maple syrup tree.

The amount of concentrated birch juice in the bottle in the picture t.v. is 430 ml. Tastes great and is very sweet. Was mixed with 2 bottles of vodka and therefore got an alcohol percentage of 28% vol. With this percentage, the schnapps can be stored without being refrigerated. I would call the birch schnapps a "Liqueur" as it is still a little sweet. One bottle I will use as essence in other "Schnapps", which should have a "Flavor" of birch. The other may need to be "diluted" a little more with more vodka.

If two bottles with 700 ml of 40% vol. is used, the total alcohol percentage will be 30%. Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

 

Ingredients for a good Blackberry Liqueur
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
620 g Blackberries wild
1 Vanilla bean split
2 to 4 tbsp. Heather honey
3 cl Licorice essence. See text

Wild blackberries grow in Denmark in many places in fences, scrub, field boundaries and forest edges. They mature differently over a longer period of time. Usually from August to October.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Draw time:
3 months at room temperature.

I have found a method to handle a cloudy "schnapps" completely. I had a sloe schnapps that was very cloudy, put it in the freezer for 2 weeks, after which it was decanted and the rest (the sediment) was sieved through 2 coffee filters. It became quite clear at room temperature. Try it yourself.
No. 39 Blackberry Liqueur
Blackberry Liqueur


Blackberry Liqueur 2018
Procedure without liability

Everyone has probably noticed that the summer of 2018 was very special hot and long. It had my wild blackberries in the fence too. I picked the first 620g on July 21st. They were totally black and mature, but a little smaller than they were in 2017. As long as there are enough of them, it does not matter. I could pick blackberries until the end of September, but with a lot of competition from the birds.

Put all blackberries in the bottle with a split vanilla bean and pour 2 to 4 tbsp. heather honey over. Then pour vodka on so it stands a few cm. from the top. Close the bottle and put it away for 3 months - it may need to be shaken along the way. I used only 2 tbsp. heather honey, which was too little.

After 3 months, filter the mixture - first coarsely in a sieve - then finely in 2 coffee filters. This is when you taste the blackberry liqueur with more heather honey or with a licorice/moscovado cane sugar mixture: This consists of 200 ml vodka, 20 g pure licorice and 20 g moscovado cane sugar. I used 3 cl licorice essence and 1 tbsp. heather honey.

Set the blackberry liqueur to mature for at least a month. Then check for sediment. This sediment must be decanted off. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. If the bottle is not completely full, you can calmly refill with vodka or a good rum.

Let the bottle mature for Christmas, then you have a good blackberry liqueur for the coffee with cakes.

 

Ingredients for a good stomach bitter Spices garden Bjesk
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
2 cl Artichoke essence
2 cl Dandelion essence
2 cl Dandelion root essence
1 cl Anise essens
1 cl Althearod essens
1 cl Hop hops
1 cl Lemon balm essence
1 cl Tarragon essence
1 cl Merian essens
1 cl Mint essence
1 cl Sage Essence
1 cl St. John's wort essence
1 cl Yarrowa - Achillea essens
½ cl Rhubarb essence

Season with a little pure licorice
and moscovado cane sugar as in
the recipe above No. 39.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Maturation time:
1 month on essences
2 months on herbs
at room temperature.
No. 40 Spices garden Bjesk
Spices garden Bjesk

Spices garden Bjesk 2018
Extended version "Stomach Bitter"
Rhubarb tends to
make Schnapps cloudy.
Procedure without liability

One could also call the recipe: "Garden Herbs" since many of these herbs from the garden are included. Dandelion is best known under the name Dandelion. The Latin name is Taraxacum officinale. Officials suggest that it is a medicinal plant. Artichoke and dandelion are known as a good remedy for intestinal fermentation and diarrhea, plus many more "diseases" that I will not get into here.

The other herbs have - in addition to a flavoring effect - also a certain effect against an inflatable stomach. It is especially the bitter substances that are beneficial. If you have a tendency to heartburn, you must be careful with too much "bitter substance".

I have gradually made 100 small bottles of essences of every conceivable herb and root. Therefore, these essences must also be experimented with. This stomach bitter is exclusively made on essences. It could also be made from dried herbs and roots. Then you just had to use 2 cl = 2 tbsp. and 1 cl = 1 tbsp. You have to try the maturation time yourself, but 2 weeks will be a good offer.

Finally, leave the "Stomach Bitter" cold, dark and dry so that it can mature and the sediment can settle. It can then be decanted and is then ready to drink. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly.

 

No. 41 Walnut Braun Whisky
Walnut Braun Whisky


Walnut Braun Whisky
Mixed in November 2017
Bottled in November 2018

Ingredients for a good Whiskey
Danish version     Next Down   




Procedure without liability

4 x 700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
Accessories: 2 glasses of 2 liters with lid.
Draw time: 1 year Maturation time: 2 years

Walnut Braun Whisky
2 x 700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
500 g ripe walnuts with shell
1 tbsp. Heather honey
2 cubes Smoked French Oak

Hazelnut Brown Whiskey
2 x 700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
500 g ripe hazelnuts with shell
2 cubes Smoked French Oak>

Crack all the nuts and put them in separate glasses with shells. Put French Oak in each glass and 1 tbsp. heather honey in the walnuts. The hazelnuts are more sweet, so here I do not use heather honey. Pour on vodka so that it covers. Put the glasses away: Cool, dry and dark for at least 1 year. The mixture is then filtered and filled into clean bottles. After a few months, the whiskey is decanted and can now be poured into the remaining bottles. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. There will always be a little missing in each bottle, so refill with a whiskey. I used approx. 10 cl. Grant's whiskey per bottle.
Note: Smoked oak is available in light, medium and heavily smoked. Can be bought where you buy accessories for beer brewing. I used a heavily smoked oak.
No. 41 Hazelnut Braun Whisky
Hazelnut Braun Whisky


Hazelnut Braun Whisky
Mixed in November 2017
Bottled in November 2018

 

Ingredients for a good Vermouth. Wermut in German means wormwood
Danish version     Next Down   

325 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
425 ml Liebfraumilch 9.5% from Rema 1000
gives an alcohol strength of 21.5%
2 pcs. Star anise crushed
1 tbsp. Gentian root cut
1 tsp. Licorice root cut
1 tsp. Garden wormwood dried
1 tsp. Lemongrass / Lemon verbena dried
1 tbsp. Juniper crushed
1 tsp. Cardamom seeds crushed
4 pieces. Carnations whole crushed
1 tsp. Sage dried
4 pieces. Rosebuds dried
1 tsp. Espresso coffee beans crushed
2 tsp. Coriander seeds crushed
1/4 Vanilla stick split
1 piece. Orange peel organic, only the yellow
or Bergamotte peel or Pomeranian peel bitter

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Pull time:
3 weeks with herbs in vodka. Then 2
weeks with vodka and white wine mixed.
425 ml Liebfraumilch 9.5% gives an alcohol strength of 21.5%.
700 ml Liebfraumilch 9.5% gives the alcohol strength of 18.5%.

Alternative spices: Saffron and 1 Bergamotte, if you can get this
citus fruit. Otherwise use Pomeranian shell,
or 2 drops of bergamot oil.
No. 42 Vermouth
Vermouth


Vermouth Mixed December 2018

Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window
Procedure without liability

Put all the ingredients in a bottle and pour on the vodka. Let the mixture stand for 3 weeks cold, dark and dry, shake the bottle a few times the first few weeks. Then filter the mixture into a new, clean bottle and pour in the white wine.

Now the bottle is stored cold, dark and dry for at least 2 weeks to mature and not least to settle. The contents are then decanted into a new, clean bottle. I have made a Decanter with electric pump and it works perfectly. The Vermouth is now ready to be enjoyed chilled. Maybe on a few ice cubes and a slice of lemon.

Wermut in German means "Wormwood" and is a spicy liqueur wine - over 14% to 24% alcohol - invented by an Italian Antonio Benedetto Carpano from Turin. He was inspired by a German liqueur spiced with wormwood.

There are 3 different types of Vermouth, a sweet, medium sweet and dry Vermouth. The sweet Vermouth is usually reddish/brown and less bitter than the clear/yellow and drier Vermouth. It all depends on the 50 different herbal extracts that Vermouth is made from.

Vermouth originated because in the 1700s people had very bad wine and they wanted to hide this wine with some herbs. Among other things "Wormwood" - hence the expression "Get Wormwood in the Cup". Maybe?

If you do not have all these herbs, you can try experimenting with other herbs yourself, but use a garden wormwood/beach wormwood/cola wormwood and gentian root. It gives a bitter taste.

Use my Excel spreadsheet Wine and Schnapps percent and / or Snapse percent mixture for other values of alcohol percentage. Open the EXCL spreadsheet in a new window.

 

Ingredients for a good Rowanberry Safran Schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
400 g Rowanberries fully ripe
1 pk. Safran ½ gram
1 to 2 tbsp. Cane sugar (option)

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Draw time:
Rowanberry/Safran 3 months in vodka
Then 1 year of maturation

Try making a safran essence of ½ g saffron and 250 ml of vodka. This essence can be used for many schnapps. Gives a nice color and adds a good aroma.

I added my rowanberry schnapps 1 tbsp. organic cane sugar.
No. 43 Rowanberry Safran Schnapps
Rowanberry Safran Schnapps

Rowanberry Safran Schnapps
Procedure without liability

The rowanberries are picked as late as possible so that they are fully ripe. It gives the best sweetness in the schnapps. But do not wait too long, because the sunbird also likes rowanberries when they are sweet and there is a shortage of food.

It will be a good idea to put the rowanberries in the freezer for a few days, just as you do with the sloe. It will burst the cells in the fruit so that the aesthetic oils come out in the vodka. I picked my rowanberries in mid-October and let them soak in vodka until the end of January. They got an excellent taste, much better than the ones I made the year before, which I took somewhat before in September.

I made a saffron essence on a letter saffron (½ g) and 250 ml of vodka, which I put 30 ml in the rowanberries. It gives a nice color and a good taste to the "Schnapps". The schnapps can actually be drunk now, but I have good experience of letting it mature for several months. So I do.

The schnapps was filtered in 2 pcs. coffee filter and it was completely ready, so I do not think that rowanberry schnapps should be decanted, but I shall see after a few months.

 

Ingredients for Rose hip Safran Schnapps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
340 g Rose hip ripe, purified weight
3 cl Safran essence
1 to 2 tbsp. Cane sugar (option)

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Draw time:
Rose hip 4 to 6 weeks in vodka
Then 1 year of maturation

Try making a saffron essence of ½ g saffron and 250 ml of vodka. This essence can be used for many snaps. Gives a nice color and adds a good aroma.

I have not added sugar yet.

Note: Rose hips must not be green or yellow.
They contain pectin and the schnapps becomes gelatinous.
They must also not be drawed for too long or too cold.
No. 44 Rose hip Safran Schnapps
Rose hip Safran Schnapps

Rose hip Safran Schnapps
Procedure without liability

The rose hips are picked at the end of August so they are fully ripe, but not over ripe and smudged. It gives the best sweetness in the schnapps. I pick my rose hips in the meadow next to Køge Bay. Here come no vehicles, only fresh sea air with a little cold-fog.

It is a good idea to put the rose hips in the freezer for a few days after they have been halved and the flower and stem have been removed. The kernels have not yet been removed. This is done by hitting the bag with the frozen rose hips hard on the kitchen table. I removed well over 90% of the kernels and the rest could easily be taken out with a small spoon. By freezing the fruit, the cells in the fruit burst so that the aesthetic oils come out in the vodka. I picked my rose hips last week in August and they are going to be drawing in vodka until *Christmas.

I made a saffron essence on a letter saffron (½ g) and 250 ml of vodka, which I put 30 ml in the rose hips. It gives a nice color and a good taste to "Snapsen".

*Postscript: It was way too long to draw until Christmas, the schnapps became jelly-like. I looked at the schnapps after 2 months and at that point it was OK. Therefore, I only recommend 4 to 6 weeks.

 

Ingredients for Nymose Bitter
Danish version     Next Down   

688 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
4 cl Sloe essence
4 cl Wormwood essence
2 cl Tansy essens
2 cl Yarrowa - Achillea essens

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid if you want
use fresh berries and herbs.

Draw time:
The sloe lasts 4 months alone.
Then put the herbs in and let them soak for 4 days.
2 to 4 weeks with essences.

Option:
I also used 4 cl Mose-Pors
Can be purchased at nurseries
No. 45 Nymose Bitter
Nymose Bitter
Sloe - Wormwood - Tansy - Yarrowa - Achillea
Moses-Pors
Nymose Bitter
Procedure without liability

This bitter is made from 4 essences as described above. Start with a bottle of vodka and pour 12 cl into a glass, which can later be made into a "Bloody Mary". Then measure out the 4 essences and pour these into the vodka bottle.

Most dried herbs are easy to buy in specialty stores with spices. But Tansy, beach wormwood and kvan seeds are not easy to obtain. Tansy contains the toxin thujon, which can only be ingested in very small amounts, but the plant contains many different essential oils such as camphor and tobacco flavors. In addition, the plant gives a bitter taste, which can also be produced with beach wormwood. Garden wormwood is used in absinthe and also contains many different essential oils, including thujon (thujon occurs in the plant thuja) so garden wormwood is also used with care. Garden angelica leaves and seeds are used for bjesk, vermouth, liqueur and gin. Also in Carlsberg Jacobsen beer. So it should be available.

 
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Ingredients for Acorn Snaps
Danish version     Next Down   

700 ml Vodka 37.5% vol.
200 g Acorn
This corresponds to 70 pcs.

Accessories:
1 liter glass with lid.

Draw time:
Acorn takes 4 months.
Stored for 6 months

Option:
I use Whiskey or Cognac, see the text opposite to the right.
You can add a little more flavor to the schnapps by roasting half of the acorns in an oven at max. 60 °C until they turn black but not burnt.

Before the schnapps is stored, you can taste it to decide whether it needs to be diluted a little. This is where I use Whiskey or Cognac.

The procedure is very similar to that for green walnuts. But I'm not cutting the acorns. Maybe I should try that next time.
No. 46 Acorn Snaps
Acorn Snaps
Acorn Snaps - more photos to come
Procedure without liability

This schnapps is made from 200 g of acorns picked in the first week of September. They haven't fully ripened yet, so they haven't turned hard and brown. All the acorns are freed from the bowl, which is usually stuck on the branches of the tree. If the acorns are dirty or covered with spider webs, rinse them in water and dry them on a tea towel for a day before putting them in a bottle.

Put the acorns in a bottle and pour a bottle of vodka over them and let them steep for 4 months in a cool and dark place. But don't put the bottle too far away, as it pays to shake the bottle once a week for the first 3 months.

During the last month, the bottle stands still, so that any sediment collects at the bottom of the bottle. Now decant the contents into a clean bottle and filter the rest through a coffee filter ot two. The two "snaps" are mixed and the bottle is stored for at least 6 months. If something is missing for the bottle to be full, add the same vodka that was used previously. However, I can recommend using a Whiskey or Cognac.

The bottle must be kept dark, cool and still for 6 months, after which it is decanted again - or as I do, using a riser so that no sediment gets into the new and last bottle. It is always wonderful to see a sparkling clear schnapps in your glass.

 
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Wild growing and cultivated herbs
Danish version     Next Down   

Below are many herbs that we use to make spice schnapps. Some are classified as wild growing and others as cultivated herbs, but overlaps can always occur. A good example would be Thyme and Wild thyme. When I come up with more varieties, they will appear here.

I can recommend a visit to: Snaps and Herbs.

  • Wild growing herbs

  • Brændenælde
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  • Brøndkarse
  •   
  • Dild
  •   
  • Fennikel
  •   
  • Humle
  •   
  • Mosepors
  •   
  • Skvalderkål
  •   
  • Havemalurt
  •   
  • Strandmalurt
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  • Vandmynte


  • Cultivated herbs

  • Anis
  •   
  • Basilikum
  •   
  • Citronmelisse
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  • Forårsløg
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  • Estragon
  •   
  • Karse
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  • Kamille
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  • Kørvel
  •   
  • Laurbær
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  • Løvstikke
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  • Merian
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  • Oregano
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  • Peberrod
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  • Persille
  •   
  • Purløg
  •   
  • Rosmarin
  •   
  • Salvie
  •   
  • Sar
  •   
  • Timian
  •  
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