Brännvin Explained

Brännvin is a Swedish liquor distilled from potatoes, grain, or (formerly) wood cellulose. It can be plain and colourless, or flavoured with herbs and spices. Beverages labelled brännvin are usually plain and have an alcohol content between 30% and 38%. The word brännvin means "burn[t] (distilled) wine". It is cognate with English brandy[wine], Norwegian brennevin, Danish brændevin, Dutch brandewijn, Finnish Viina, German Branntwein, and Icelandic brennivín. A small glass of brännvin is called a snaps (cf. German schnapps), and may be accompanied by a snapsvisa, a drinking song.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Outside Scandinavia

In the US, a Chicago producer makes a bitter brännvin (beskbrännvin), called Jeppson's Malört.^[4] "Malört" (in Swedish pronounced as /ˈmɑ̂ːlœʈ/) is the Swedish word for the plant Artemisia absinthium, wormwood, often used as an ingredient in absinthe.

In Scandinavian culture

Brännvin was central to the semi-mythical world in the songs of swedish composer Carl Michael Bellman. For example, in Fredman's Epistle no. 1, the first verse begins:^[5]

See also

• Alcoholic beverages in Sweden

External links

• Web site: High spirits . Vin & sprithistoriska museet . https://web.archive.org/web/20090628115127/http://www.vinosprithistoriska.se/?id=891 . en . 2022-03-04. 2009-06-28 . - Short introduction to 'Swedish: brännvin'. The Historical Museum of Wines and Spirits (English).

Notes and References

1. Web site: Light Swedish vodka Brännvin. Swedish Food.com. 6 January 2018.
2. Book: Carlsson, Hugo . Svensk brännvinstillverkning genom tiderna: minnesskrift till Sveriges bränneriidkareförenings 50-årsjubileum . Swedish Brännvin Distilling Through the Ages . 1957 . Trade Association . Kristianstad . Swedish.
3. Ekstrand . A. G. . Den svenska branvinsindustrien. Svensk Kemisk Tidskrift . 1893 . 5. 108– . The Swedish Brandy Industry . Swedish.
4. Web site: JEPPSON'S MALÖRT . Jeppsonsmalort.com . 28 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171219185932/http://www.jeppsonsmalort.com/jm.html . 19 December 2017 . dead .
5. Web site: Fredmans Epistel nr 1. 6 January 2018. 7 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180107174825/http://www.e.kth.se/archive/lnk/bsong/songs/tradition/Bellman/Epistel-01.html. dead.