No other nation does alcoholic hot drinks as well as the Swiss! When you live in the snowy mountains, you certainly learn how to stay warm with various alcoholic Après-Ski drinks. The Swiss like them rather boozy to warm you from inside out and to keep the colds away.
Next time you are on a skiing trip in Switzerland, make sure to ask for one of these delicious hot drinks. Or even better, surprise your travel companions with your hot cocktail skills and treat them a nice boozy Après-Ski drink in your holiday apartment.
Enjoy these popular alcoholic hot drinks from Switzerland.
1 Holdrio
This hot drink may be easy to make but it sure will be a tasty one! You simply combine plum schnapps with rosehip tea and sweeten it with sugar.
Of course, you could make your own version using a different tea and a different schnapps, but it wouldn’t be known as Holdrio. Peppermint tea with a more herbal spirit is also a popular pairing. The Swiss really love their schnapps, which can be made with pretty much any fruit. Many people even make them at home. Don’t mistake these for sweet fruity liqueurs, though, they’re more like a fruit brandy with a high alcohol content.
2 Jägertee
Jägertee is not to be confused with Jägermeister. Jägertee is also known as Rhum Punch (and it sure is punchy!) as the original recipe for Jägertee has geographic protection by the EU, which allows only Austrian companies to produce and sell any premixed versions of it.
With more than a million litres of the premixed stuff sold annually, plus everyone’s house blends served in the ski bars, this is definitely one of the most popular drinks of the season. Jäger means hunter, and it was hunters who used to enjoy this warming alcoholic drink while hunting in the mountains. They probably still enjoy it, but now it has also become very popular amongst skiers.
In Switzerland, Jägertee is a blend of black tea, red wine, spices, and a good measure of rum. Stroh from Austria is often used, and it comes in various levels of alcohol – the highest being 80% ABV! In fact, I remember my mum making something similar at home in Finland. She added a little Stroh into the tea to prevent colds during the winter months. Like mulled wine, Jägertee is flavoured with spices such as cinnamon and cloves.
Recipe:
2 Cups of black tea
1 Cup red wine
Brown sugar (to taste)
2 Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
50ml Rum (ideally Stroh)
50ml Fruit schnapps (optional, usually plum)
This recipe serves two. First brew the tea. Loose leaf or bags are both fine, just pay attention to the brewing time to avoid making it too strong. Strain the tea leaves/remove the tea bags and add the sugar, spices and wine into the mixture and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Do not allow to boil. Turn off the heat and strain. Add rum and schnapps, if using. Adjust the sweetness if needed and serve immediately.
3 Glühwein
This is very similar to mulled wine. Glühwein is basically a hot drink made with red wine (although white wine variations can also be found), sugar, fresh orange slices and Christmassy spices. Many recipes also include a vanilla pod. It’s a great winter warmer, not only for Christmas but throughout the ski season.
See my previous blog post for two mulled wine recipe variations.
4 Schümli Pflümli
Schümli Pflümli even sounds fun! It is possibly my favourite Swiss alcoholic hot drink recipe as I love whipped cream. There are some variations of the recipe, but basically it is a mix of black coffee, sugar, and plum schnapps with a whipped cream top. Think of it as the Swiss take on Irish Coffee.
Recipe:
Cup of strong black coffee
40ml Plum schnapps
2tsp Sugar
Pinch of cocoa powder
Whipped cream
First, heat a cup with hot water. Discard the water and pour in the coffee. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Measure in the schnapps and add whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
5 Flämmli
Flämmli is also a coffee-based drink, but there is fire involved. I don’t necessarily recommend trying this at home as if done incorrectly, it can break your cup, or worse, set fire to your kitchen.
If you feel brave enough to give it a go, this is how you do it…
Recipe:
Double espresso
2 teaspoon of sugar (or 2 cubes)
You’ll also need a lighter, a teaspoon and an espresso cup.
Make a double espresso and add two teaspoons or two cubes of sugar into the cup. Do NOT stir. Drink the coffee so that only the sugar stays at the bottom. Pour in the Williams pear schnapps.
Take some of that sugar from the cup into a teaspoon and set it on fire, then put the spoon in the cup so that the whole thing is on fire. Remove the spoon (but do not put it in your mouth as it will be HOT!). Allow the flames to do their thing until the sugar caramelises. Take the saucer and cover the cup to extinguish the fire. Some people pour the flaming drink into a smaller glass and use their hand to cover the fire, but I feel it’s safer to stick to the cup and saucer. You can now inhale the aromas before drinking the spirit from the cup.
Have you tried any Swiss hot drinks? Which one of these alcoholic hot drinks is your favourite?
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