Cocktails with schnapps by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy with snaps from Snaps Bornholm

Snaps ‘n cocktails

Exploring the use of schnapps in cocktails

Well aware of the growing cocktail interest among food and drink enthusiasts Snaps Bornholm and Copenhagen Cocktail Academy have been exploring the use of snaps in cocktails. This resulted in an inspirational booklet with 16 different drinks – a cocktail and a long drink for each of the products from Snaps Bornholm.

We have talked to Jannick Gram from Copenhagen Cocktail Academy who presented us to four of the cocktails that he made for the purpose and shared some insights on how he approached the task of working with snaps.

“When tasting the products from Snaps Bornholm what surprised me most was the clear aromatic nuances they offer. They are exceptionally smooth and the velvet like feel on the tongue is followed by a long warm finish. This not only makes them a joy to drink neat but provides endless opportunities for their use in cocktails.

Our task was to show the versatility of snaps to prove its worth in cocktails and revive its role behind the bar. We wanted to show that snaps can have other uses besides the traditional pairing with pickled heering for seasonal dinner parties.”

When working with new products Jannick tries to built on the basic flavors and find something to enhance them and tie them together. For him finding the right mix is a matter of 60% experience and 40% research. It turned out to be easy for Jannick to work with the products from Snaps Bornholm as they match his personal preference in relation to cocktail mixing – aiming for clear and distinct flavor profiles.

“For me snaps is synonymous with clear and distinct taste, tradition and craft. As with other spirits based on herbs, spices and other botanicals snaps offers an invitation to dive into a world of taste and aroma where the only limits are the limits of your own imagination in terms of combining flavors in new, diverse and exciting ways.”

With the 16 cocktails in the booklet Jannick and his business partner Andreas wanted to provide inspiration for people to work with all the different types of snaps available from Snaps Bornholm. So lets look at some interesting samples.


Figen No. 3

Fig snaps cocktail by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy with fig snaps from Snaps BornholmThe fig snaps from Snaps Bornholm has a characteristic “fat” taste and is super delicious. No wonder that it was the one that sold out first.

The fig snaps cocktail combines the fig with star anis, tarragon and red grapefruit.

40 ml Figen No. 3
10 ml Licor 43
20 ml anis syrup
10 ml lime juice
40 ml freshly squeezed pink grape fruit juice
1 sprig of tarragon

Muddle the tarragon, shake all ingredients with ice and strain over ice in a rock glass. Garnish with tarragon and star anis.

This is a very complex and super interesting drink with. The taste develops as you sip it and the fresh ingredients compliments the fig’s fat imprint on the palate.


H
avtorn, dild og agurk No. 2

buckthorn, dill and cucumber snaps cocktail with Snaps Bornholm by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy The buckthorn, dill and cucumber snaps is light and “green” with an emphasis on the dill. This snaps will work wonders in a longdrink with some tonic. For the cocktail Jannick found that a pear liqueur and nothing else combined with the snaps makes for a nice simple martini-style drink.

50 ml Havtorn, dild & agurk No. 2
10 ml pear liqueur

Stir with ice and serve up in a martini glass. Garnish with a slice of pear.


 

 

Lakrids No. 7

Licorice schnapps cocktail by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy with licorice snaps from Snaps BornholmThe licorice snaps has an ammonia like taste – it’s an interesting licorice experience without the sweet sugary aspects characterizing most licorice liqueurs.

50 ml Lakrids No. 7
30 ml Buckthorn juice
20 ml Caramel syrup
15 ml Lime juice

Shake alle ingredients with ice and serve straight up in a cocktail coupe or wine glass. Garnish with licorice and some sea salt on the rim of the glass.

The licorice cocktail is superb – the salt, licorice and caramel together creates a greater whole. The caramel entertains the nose while the licorice plays a strong part in the on the palate in the aftertase.


 

Chili & Honning No. 8

Chili & honey schnapps cocktail by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy with chili & honey snaps from Snaps Bornholm.The chili and honey snaps is very well balanced. The mix of chili and honey is a simple and winning combination and is a succesful upgrade to the “honningsyp” – a traditional honey snaps from Bornholm. This snaps is easily enjoyed on its own but works well in a drink that plays on the sweet/spicy  mix of honey and chili:

40 ml  Chili & Honning No. 8
15 ml sweet vermouth
5 ml amaretto
20 ml full cream
30 ml Svaneke Brown Ale

Shake all ingredents except the brown ale with ice. Serve straight up in a cognac or whine glass, add the brown ale and stir to mix. Garnish with a yellow chili.

This is a smooth and creamy cocktail. Svaneke brown ale is a full bodied beer that mixes wonderfully with the honey snaps. This drink will serve well as an after dinner indulgence.

These four cocktails are a sample of the 16 cocktails made by Copenhagen Cocktail Academy for Snaps Bornholm. You can find the full list of snaps-cocktail recipes in this booklet.

If you are interested in snaps you can read more in our feature about the future of snaps and aquavit or explore the world of aquavit in our ebook on aquavit cocktails.

Author image
Thomas Klem Andersen
I believe that true mastery eventually leads to original creation given the right conditions. I love creative cocktails that push the limits of flavor pairing. But I can't deny I have a personal preference for whisky and love everything that is clear and stirred.