Many have heard about the love of the German nation for alcoholic beverages. It is absolutely true that in Germany they really adore them and know how to do them perfectly well. The recipes for many drinks have their roots in ancient times, and their ingredients are natural and natural. These include schnapps, very vaguely reminiscent of Slavic vodka or moonshine.
What an alcoholic drink schnapps
Schnapps is a general name for alcoholic beverages, the strength of which is 30-45 degrees. They are obtained as a result of the distillation of natural mash: grain, vegetable, fruit. The main conditions for the preparation of raw materials is the absence of granulated sugar and artificial yeast in it.
Schnapps is often a transparent alcoholic beverage with a pronounced taste and smell of the original product. In accordance with the culture used, there are more than three dozen industrial types. But there is an opinion that in essence there are twice as many varieties of schnapps.
Schnapps is considered a German alcoholic drink, although, according to historical research, its production began in the 15th century in neighboring Austria.
After some time, the Germans also began to cook schnapps and popularized it. An interesting fact: this alcohol was used in the XVI-XVII centuries as a medicine that cures all ailments and has a rejuvenating effect. Indeed, properties that are worthy of attention, and if they are combined with a pleasant taste, then it becomes clear why schnapps has acquired such fame.
Types of schnapps
Depending on the initial product, schnapps can be of several basic types, with subsequent division into more specific ones: fruit, berry, vegetable, herbal and cereal. Raw materials give alcohol a special flavor, the palette of which varies from sweetish to bitter.
The most common fruit schnapps is apple schnapps, which is preferred to be made from a mixture of a wide variety of apples, while Williams is considered exclusively suitable for a pear drink. Peach schnapps are very popular and are the main ingredient in many cocktails.
Berry schnapps are rightfully considered the most delicious and have special aroma and taste properties.
Perhaps the most famous is cherry schnapps, called Kirschwasser in Germany. It is used in the exquisite Black Forest cherry dessert, which has its roots in Baden-Württemberg. And raspberry schnapps became widespread and recognized in Bavaria.
In the mountains of Bavaria, you can find schnapps infused with herbs. For example, a mint drink with the addition of ready-made alcohol, which is then diluted with water to an acceptable strength, usually 20 degrees, and run through a moonshine still. Vanilla schnapps are prepared according to the same principle. Juniper schnapps with a magnificent spruce aroma is considered a real delicacy.
Aged potato schnapps traditionally have a bitter taste and are similar to regular moonshine. Among grain distillates, corn and wheat are famous.
Usage rules
Schnapps are drunk in small portions of 20-30 milliliters. In order for the aroma of the original product to be noticeable, the drink must be drunk chilled.
The degree of cooling depends on the raw material used to make the schnapps. If from fruits and berries, then the drink is cooled to 16-20 °, and if from cereals, then the drink should be cooler. You can eat a glass of fruit, Bavarian sausages or sausages. More about German cuisine here.
In the first variant of drinking schnapps is sipped, drinking in small sips, in order to enjoy the aftertaste, by analogy with expensive cognac. Otherwise, it is suggested to put in a whiskey glass a piece of the fruit from which the drink is prepared, pouring over the schnapps. The fruit is taken out, the glass is drunk and eaten with an alcohol slice.
To reduce the number of degrees, alcohol is diluted with still water or the corresponding fruit juice. You can make different combinations with schnapps by adding lemonade or champagne. Such a drink will have a light taste and a sparkling consistency.
The most fun and extreme way of using schnapps is to make schnapps, that is, a mixture of schnapps with beer. It is also suggested to drink schnapps, immediately washed down with a certain type of beer. Many do not risk drinking such a “killer” mixture, preferring light cocktails.
How much does schnapps cost in Germany
Depending on the type of schnapps and the brand of the manufacturer, prices for schnapps vary on average from 15 to 50 € per bottle. One bottle contains 0.7 or 0.5 liters of alcoholic beverage.
The cheapest is apple schnapps, which costs 10-15 €. The prices for other berry and fruit drinks are very varied.
High-quality pear schnapps, a unique feature of which is the presence of ripe, juicy pear fruit right inside the bottle, costs from 20 €.
The most expensive are cereal schnapps, which are considered premium drinks. The price for them, respectively, will be twice as high. Delicacy alcoholic drinks such as nuts and cinnamon are also expensive. The cost of one bottle of a rare variety of schnapps will be 45-50 €.
How to make schnapps with your own hands
Schnapps is a drink that can be easily made at home by choosing an affordable product as a base, available or appealing to your taste preferences.
Potato schnapps
The potato drink is pretty simple to make. It is considered the oldest variety, which was invented in the 15th century. Among the main ingredients: a kilogram of potatoes, half a liter of water, the enzymes amylosubtilin and glucavamorin, as well as wine yeast, which are added at home to activate fermentation.
To begin with, we select high-quality potatoes, which we wash and grind with a blender, meat grinder or grater. Pour the resulting gruel with hot water, boiling for an hour. After removing from the heat, cool the container with the potato mass to 70 °, followed by the addition of amylosubtilin.
Next, you need to maintain the above temperature and stir the contents of the container for half an hour. Then add glucavamorin to the unfermented broth, insist for an hour until the starch is sugared. Now you can cool everything down to 30 ° and add yeast.
When the mash is ripe, we distill it, separating the first fraction, the so-called head, and dilute the resulting distillate to 12-15% alcohol content. The last stage of preparation is to cleanse the liquid with a filter.
Fruit homemade schnapps
German vodka with fruity notes can be prepared according to a single universal recipe. Thus, you can drive out apricot, apple, strawberry and many other types of drink. Let's take a closer look at the cooking process using the example of plum schnapps.
We take ripe plums and clean water, in a ratio of 1: 1. That is, for 10 kilograms of drainage there are 10 liters of water. It is worth noting that I do not wash the plums, we just peel and puree them. Next, pour the plum mass into a large container and pour 3 liters of water there, cover with a gauze cloth and leave in a warm place for three days.
With the appearance of the first signs of fermentation (release of a sour smell and foam, hissing), pour the remaining 5-7 liters of liquid into the container. The amount of water varies depending on the natural sugar content of the fruit. We dilute the mash to a liquid state. Next, we install a water seal on the neck of the container, placing it in a dark, warm place for 20-50 days.
When the fermentation process is over, a sign of which is the cessation of the formation of bubbles, we run the mash for the first time through the moonshine still, ending the collection of the product when the strength of the released liquid drops to 30 degrees. After this stage, we determine the proportion of pure alcohol, again measure the strength of the resulting drink, and then dilute with water to 20 percent.
We distill the diluted liquid again, removing the pervac, stopping the collection of the distillate at a strength of 45 degrees. Plum schnapps is almost ready, it remains to dilute it with clean water to 35-45 degrees, bottle it and leave it cool for several days to stabilize the taste of alcohol.
The best brands of schnapps
Some of the most trusted and quality schnapps brands include Dirker, Bauer, Hans Reisetbauer, Williams Birnen, Ziegler, Lantenhammer, Kammer-Kirsch, Wieser and Schladerer.
You can buy real schnapps in German online stores, directly in markets or specialty stores that sell alcohol.
There are also alcoholic beverages that contain a certain type of schnapps. A similar well-known alcohol is Schwartzhog, known as boar liqueur, because this particular animal is depicted on the bright label. The drink contains bitter orange distillate, a mixture of herbal, fruit and nut extracts.
While in Germany, you can taste schnapps in any drinking place: restaurant, cafe or pub, enjoying the splendor and variety of flavors. Some establishments often use a unique recipe, which gives each type of schnapps a unique flavor. The bars offer numerous cocktails with schnapps. For example, peach schnapps, due to its delicate taste, are used to make Blue Margarita and Sex on the Beach long drinks.
Conclusion
Schnapps, a famous German beverage, amazes visitors to German-speaking countries with its wide variety and choice. It is not surprising that tourists have a desire to savor it in full and try everything at once. But still do not forget that schnapps belongs to the group of strong alcohol, therefore you should not drink it excessively.
