UP Hunter’s Schnapps Essence 20 ml

UP Hunter’s Schnapps Essence 20 ml

Most people meet the dark herbal schnapps as an ice-cold shot that is gone in a second. But the style has far more to offer than that. Behind the sweetness and the chill hides an entire apothecary of herbs, roots, seeds and peels – and the more of them there is room for, the more there is to discover in the glass.

UP Hunter’s Schnapps is our Ultra Premium interpretation, the highest quality tier in the range. Here the herbal layers are more numerous, the spices darker and the finish considerably longer. It is the hunter’s schnapps for those who like to sip it slowly from a small glass by the fire, and not only from the freezer on a Saturday night.

Colour & Appearance

The schnapps turns a deep mahogany brown, almost opaque, with a warm reddish rim right at the edge of the glass. The texture is full and smooth, and it leaves slow curtains on the inside of the glass.

Nose

The nose opens up over several floors. At the top, star anise, fennel seed and sweet liquorice root. Below that, bitter and sweet orange peel, fresh ginger and a breath of cardamom. Down in the cellar lies the dark stuff: clove, cinnamon bark, juniper, a little saffron and a dry, earthy tone of gentian and other bitter roots.

Palate

The palate begins round and soft with liquorice and dark sugar, but quickly grows more complex. The citrus peels supply a bitter-fruity nerve, ginger and allspice prickle on the tongue, and clove, cinnamon and nutmeg spread a dark warmth. The herbs – a little mint, a little sage, a touch of chamomile – flicker past like green streaks. The bitterness arrives late and is finely judged: it dries out the sweetness without taking over. Every sip seems to taste slightly different from the one before.

Finish

The finish is this schnapps’ signature. It goes on and on, first bittersweet with liquorice and orange, then drier and more rooty, until only a warm spice note of clove and anise is left.

How to Use

The essence is mixed with vodka or neutral spirit plus sugar. 20 ml makes 750 ml of finished drink. Instructions are on the label.

Serving Suggestions

• Lightly chilled in a small glass – that is how every herbal layer comes through.
• Ice cold from the freezer as a chaser to a dark lager or porter.
• With tonic, ice and a broad strip of orange peel.
• With orange juice or lemonade for a gentler long drink.
• After a game dinner, with coffee and a piece of dark chocolate.

About the Essence

UP stands for Ultra Premium, our highest quality tier, where we have allowed the flavouring to cost a little more in order to give a richer, more intricate result. Next to the Prestige version, UP Hunter’s Schnapps is deeper, spicier and longer on the finish.

Choose it when the schnapps is meant to take centre stage – at the game dinner, as a Christmas present for your father-in-law, or simply when you feel like treating yourself to the best. For producers, the Ultra Premium essence is also available in 25 litres.