The Various Flavours of Home-Distilled Schnapps

Home distilling is quite a popular hobby among Australians as well as beverage-lovers all around the globe. There is a certain freedom and appeal to being able to make a beverage all by yourself, that many of us just fall in love with it after the very first try.

With many sources to get distilling equipment and essential consumables from, it’s now easier than ever before to make your favourite drinks at home or mix up your own, signature concoctions. Distilling also allows you to travel the world through your taste buds, offering you the chance to make drinks that could otherwise only be found in their original form somewhere far, far away. Schnapps is one such drink and today we’re going to explore the different flavourings and experiences schnapps provide.

Schnapps: An Authentic Taste of Europe

There is no one place that you can pinpoint on a map and say “This here is where schnapps originated from!”

Dispersed all accross Europe, schnapps can be found in different variations and under different names from the islands down South all the way to the up to the fjords in the North. Every people have put their own twist to this historic drink, deriving it from fruits and herbs that naturally occur within their respective areas.

Still, when you take a look at every type of schnapps out there, no matter the name, you will understand that the recipe is more or less the same. Schnapps is, in it’s core, alcohol made out of distilled fruits like grapes, peaches, apples, cherries, pears, and so on. Schnapps can also be heavily herbal, with minimal to no fruit percentage inside and can also be made of honey.

This was all about how schnapps is made in Europe, but when making your own schnapps down under, however, things are a a bit easier. Instead of using actual fruits you can put your own twist on the drink and use schnapps flavoring! Schnapps flavoring will significantly help out with the distilling process and allow you to reinven the drink with some really funky flavours, provided you already have your proper schnapps distilling equipment in place, of course.

Let’s explore the flavours!

Peach & Pear

Are you into these juicy, sweet summer fruits? If so, then you’re going to absolutely love peach or pear schnapps!

Featuring all the wonders these Rosaceae-family fruits can offer and adding a subtle (or a bit more agressive, it’s up to you!) kick in the mix, it’s the perfect drink to sip on before dinner or after a hearty meal as you lounge around. The beauty of using flavouring instead of the real deal is that you can allow yourself peach or pear schnapps any time of the year without having to break the bank!

This flavouring is a very traditional flavouring when it comes to schnapps, so if you’d like an authentic schnapps experience, definitely go with either peach or pear. You can always add things to the mix to customize the drink, though I’d recommend doing this after you’ve tried your hand at schnapps-making.

Blackberry

Offering a deeper, fuller taste than the fresh peaches and pears, blackberry schnapps flavouring is ideal for chillier weather when the heart needs a little something to warm it up. Excellent to be drunk on its own or paired with a bit of hot chocolate, blackberry schnapps holds true creativity within, giving the wheel up to you to tap into it and explore.

Blackberries are already pretty rich in taste, but when paired with the proper schnapps base, they turn into quite a unique drink that nobody will be able to pass on. Perfect for adding to cakes and cookies and as a replacement to good, old-fashioned brandy, blackberry schnapps pairs excellently well with dried herbs for an even more opulent taste and overall experience.

And just think – you can make it all by yourself just like apple cider!

Butterscotch

Do you have a sweet tooth? Are you all about chocolate liqueurs and any type of drink that has something to do with desserts? If so, then butterscotch flavouring will definitely make your day.

Pairing basic schnapps with the sweetness and luxury of butterscotch, the mix is like Christmas in a bottle. A bit different than what we’re all used to, butterscotch-flavoured schnapps isn’t refreshing, but it does leave you with a mouth full of warm sweetness and tastebuds that rejoice. A quality-made flavouring, it mimicks the brown sugar and butter mixture quite well, giving it a new, liquid form, and a completely new pairing field.

Excellent as a topping to many desserts as well as a special drink for toasting, butterscotch schnapps can handle fruity additions as well as partners such as vanilla for a rounded, harmonious sugary taste.

Pineapple & Banana

Coming completely out of left field, these tropical schnapps flavours are here to add a contemporary twist to this age-old drink and truly make your schnapps distilling experience exciting and unique. Not for everyone’s palate, though, pineapple and banana flavourings should be used with caution.

I’d recommend trying out a small batch first instead of going all in and making a whole dose as the tastes might not be for you after all. Fit for all the adventurous types out there, pineapple and banana schnapps are perfect for summer nights, when you can drink them by themselves or pair them with other beverages to create signature cocktails.

Able to handle their herbs, these flavours will produce a sweet-tasting and sweet-smelling drink that will transport you right to the beach. Pair with fresh fruits for full effect.