5 tips for enjoying snaps during midsummer

Scandinavian midsummer celebrations boil down to a few must-haves: new potatoes, pickled herring, and Aquavit or 'snaps'. Let us bust some myths and share the best snaps tips for one of summer's most important events.

1. Keep the glasses in the freezer, not the snaps

A common mistake around midsummer is to put the snaps in the freezer. A cold, cooling drink sounds great but actually the cold kills both the taste and the aroma. Put the glasses in the freezer instead! Snaps is best served chilled at around 10 degrees.

2. Find new taste experiences by flavoring your own snaps

Flavoring your own snaps only needs a few days of preparation and is easy. One quick and good idea is to put blackcurrant leaves in the spirit overnight to add some flavor and spice.

3. Spicy snaps for the herring on the midsummer table

Scandinavians love their herring during midsummer and there isn't a better companion than aquavit that's typically spiced with either cumin and/or dill. If you like to prepare the herring yourself, using aquavit in the recipe is our hot tip. Herring’s best aquavit buddy is the O.P. Anderson Original.

4. Match the food and the snaps like a true Scandinavian

When pairing food with aquavit think whether the spice used in the drink would go hand in hand with the dish. For instance, salmon and dill are a match made in flavor heaven, so we'd suggest pairing your salmon dishes with dill-seasoned aquavit such as O.P. Anderson Klar.

5. Don't use snaps glasses that are too big

2 cl snaps glasses are the way to go. A tip is to have two glasses per person with different aquavit to be able to vary the snaps according to the dish. Pair your cured salmon appetizer for instance with Aalborg Jubilæums Akvavit and your grilled pork tenderloin main with LINIE Aquavit.