Sea wormwood schnapps

Sea wormwood schnapps belongs to the very old, traditional and very popular schnappses here in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

It's a highly enjoyable schnapps with a pleasant bitter, aromatic and characteristic taste and wonderful, unique flavours. The colour is pale green.

Serve with seafoods, smoked and marinated herrings, smoked salmons, soups, stews or cold dishes such as the Danish smorgasbord.

Excellent as appetizer and after-dinner drink.

Sea wormwood schnapps blends very well with...
orange schnapps · lemon schnapps · ginger schnapps.

Or try this: Put half a lemon (well washed) in 70-75 centiliter sea wormwood schnapps. Let it steep for 24 hours in a dark place at room temperature. Filter and enjoy.

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

Sea wormwood

Sea wormwood is a perennial and highly aromatic herb that grows to a height of about 60 centimeters.

It belongs to the same genus (Artemisia) as wormwood, tarragon and southernwood.

The woody stems and pinnate leaves are covered with white downy hair making the plant appear as silver-white.

The small, oblong flowerheads are reddish yellow. Each flowerhead contains 3-6 tubular florets.

It's a very decorative plant that is grown in many places as an ornamental.

All parts of the plant are highly aromatic, but extremely bitter to taste.

However, in schnappses and liqueurs Sea Wormwood is a very popular and wonderful flavouring.

Here in Denmark, sea wormwood grows in coastal areas, beach meadows and banks, and along roadsides behind sand dunes. Common at our inner coasts and the Wadden Sea - a tidal area in the western part of south Jutland (Jylland).

Sea wormwood is a very old medicinal plant and contains the same constituents as the Common Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) that is the main ingredient in absinthe, but it's less powerful.

The essential oils are used in various liqueurs, herbal remedies and dietary supplements.

More information about the sea wormwood plant

Recipe

As mentioned before, sea wormwood schnapps is a highly popular schnapps here in Scandinavia. Has been for ages.

The same with schnapps based on Common Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). The first recipe I know of dates back to 1755.

There are very many ways to flavour schnapps, but with wormwoods the list of recipes is almost endless.

This recipe is based on sea wormwood, which - in my opinion - has a fuller and less pungent taste than common wormwood.

But do try to make both - you might like common wormwood better.

Direction:

• Use the young, flowering shoots of either sea wormwood or common wormwood.
• If necessary, rinse them carefully.
• Leave them to dry in the shadow - on paper towel.
• Put 5-6 flowering shoots (5-10 centimeters long) into a clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Add 70-75 centiliter clear, unflavoured vodka - 40% (80 proof).
• Steep for 2-48 hours - 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 year 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 sea wormwood 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.