Snaps

Small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal

In Denmark and Sweden, snaps (pronounced [ˈsnaps] in Danish and Swedish) is a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal.

In Denmark, a snaps will always be akvavit, although there are many varieties of it. In Sweden, snaps is a more general term; it is usually akvavit, although it may also be vodka, bitters/bitter liqueurs or some other kind of brännvin/brændevin. Spirits such as whisky or brandy are seldom drunk as snaps. One of Finland's strongest alcohol drinks served with snaps is Marskin ryyppy, named after Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim.^[1]

The word "snaps" also has the same meaning as German Schnapps (German: [ʃnaps]), in the sense of "any strong alcoholic drink".^[2]

Culture

Swedes, Danes and Swedish-speaking Finns have a tradition of singing songs (called snapsvisor) before drinking snaps. These snapsvisor are typically odes to the joys of drinking snaps. They may praise the flavour of snaps or express a craving for it.

Snaps and snapsvisor are essential elements of Swedish crayfish parties, which are notoriously tipsy affairs. Dozens of songs may be sung during such a party, and every song requires a round of snaps. However, the glass need not be emptied every time.

References

^ Uola, Mikko: Marskin ryyppy: marsalkkamme juomakulttuuria chevalier-kaartista ylipäällikön ruokapöytään. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2002. ISBN 951-746-385-5
^ Haugen, Einar (1965). Norwegian-English Dictionary. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. The definition given is "nip, schnaps; shot (of brandy,
aquavit, etc.)."

External links

Look up tipsy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Drinking song – snapsvisa
Drinking songs at Spiritmuseum Archived 2014-09-08 at the Wayback Machine

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