Very Schnappy

In Austria schnapps is said to be made from every fruit and berry you have heard of and every fruit and berry you haven’t. Schnapps, like eau-de-vie in France and grappa in Italy, is a clear, unaged distillate (about 40 proof) that is drunk after the meal. Often Austrian families proudly make their own schnapps from fruit they grow themselves, and it’s frequently a delicious, relatively mild liqueur. In restaurants in Austria you’ll also find hundreds of handcrafted, limited-production, very expensive versions made by individual winemakers and artisanal distillers. Plum is the most common flavor, but more intriguing perhaps are schnapps made from elderberries, quince, juniper, apricots, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and rowanberries from the mountain ash tree.