Peppermint schnapps

Peppermint schnapps - based on fresh peppermint leaves - is fresh, mild and very delicate.

Enjoy it on its own.

Or serve with lamb, fish, vegetables, soups, desserts, many types of cheese, and cheese cakes.

You can also use the schnapps in desserts, salad dressings, jellies, barbecue sauces, herb butters - or any dish where you would normally use peppermint.

Peppermint schnapps blends very well with...
peach schnapps · rosemary schnapps · lemon balm schnapps · lemon thyme schnapps · crabapple schnapps.

Also, see how you can easily...
turn your peppermint schnapps into a liqueur.

Peppermint

The peppermint plant is also known as brandy mint or balm mint.

It's a small, perennial plant with four-sided stems and clusters of small reddish-violet flowers.

The finely toothed leaves are dark green, smooth or slightly hairy and with a strong, characteristic aroma.

The plant grows in sunny, moist areas and near water, and it's just one of many members of the mint family.

Other members are spearmint, water mint, horsemint, etc.

The essential oil of peppermint with more than forty different compounds is used in dietary supplements, herbal remedies, aromatherapy, and for very many flavouring purposes.

More information about the peppermint plant

Recipe

Use fresh peppermint leaves.

Pick them just before flowering and do it in the morning after the dew has disappeared. That's when they have the highest content of essential oil.

If you buy fresh peppermint make sure the plant is really fresh - organic if possible - and free from spots and insect damage.

Handle the plant with care - fresh herbs bruise easily - and use the leaves as soon as possible to get the most flavour and aroma into your schnapps.

Direction:

• Rinse the peppermint leaves carefully.
• Leave them to dry in the shadow - on paper towel.
• Use a clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Fill 1/3 of the jar with leaves.
• Fill up with clear, unflavoured vodka - 40% alcohol content (80 proof).
• Let steep for 4-14 days in a dark place at room temperature,
  18-20°C (64-68°F).
• Shake lightly and taste it from time to time.
• Strain and filter your infusion into a clean glass bottle or jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Store (age) for at least 1 month in a dark place at room temperature before serving.

Note: If for some reason you are not satisfied with your infusion, there are ways to adjust both taste and flavours - click here to see how.

Serve your peppermint schnapps at room temperature in suitable glasses. And remember to keep your schnapps bottle tightly closed and in a dark place before and between servings.