Snaps, aquavit, brännvin, schnapps: English-language pages treat them as one word. In Sweden they mean different things, and one of them is defined in EU law. Here’s what’s in the small glass, how Swedes serve it, and what the songs are about.
When you need this
You’ve been invited to a Midsummer lunch, a crayfish party or a julbord (Christmas buffet), and there are small glasses next to the herring. You’re at the spirits shelf in Systembolaget, the state alcohol store, looking at signs that say akvavit and kryddat brännvin. You want to bring a bottle home, or you’re wondering whether you can drive the morning after the party.
How to toast and when the table sings are in our guide to Swedish drinking culture. This page is about the drink itself.
Snaps, brännvin, aquavit: three words, three meanings
The most useful thing to know is that snaps isn’t a type of liquor. Systembolaget puts it plainly: the word says nothing about what you’re drinking, only about how you drink it — a small glass of spirits with food. The older, more casual word is nubbe.
| Word | What it means | Legally defined? |
|---|---|---|
| snaps / nubbe | A small glass of spirits drunk with food | No — it’s a custom |
| brännvin | Spirit usually distilled from grain or potato, flavored or not | No — an umbrella word |
| kryddat brännvin | Flavored brännvin: wormwood, bog myrtle, elderflower, bitter orange and more | No — a shelf category |
| akvavit (aquavit) | Spirit flavored mainly with caraway and/or dill, at least 37.5% | Yes — EU law |
| Svensk Akvavit | Aquavit made to the Swedish specification, fennel included | Yes — protected name |
Most snaps poured at a Swedish holiday table is aquavit, but a flavored brännvin with other herbs goes into the same glass and gets the same song.
What EU law says aquavit is
Aquavit is one of the spirit categories defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/787, the EU’s spirit-drinks rulebook. To carry the name akvavit or aquavit, a drink must:
- be flavored with caraway or dill seeds, or both, using a distillate of plants or spices;
- have at least 37.5% alcohol by volume;
- owe its flavor “largely” to caraway or dill distillates — essential oils are banned;
- not taste obviously bitter, with dry extract of no more than 1.5 g per 100 ml.
The same regulation has a separate, weaker category for caraway spirit, Kümmel, with a floor of only 30%. So a caraway-flavored bottle isn’t automatically aquavit. The strength and the flavor rules decide.
Svensk Akvavit: the protected Swedish style
Svensk Aquavit, Svensk Akvavit and Swedish Aquavit are three forms of one registered EU geographical indication, protected since Sweden joined the EU. The Swedish Food Agency, Livsmedelsverket, keeps the register and published an amended product specification in June 2026. Under it, Swedish aquavit must:
- use base spirit made in Sweden from Swedish-grown wheat, rye, barley, oats or potatoes;
- be flavored with caraway and/or dill plus fennel seed — the note the specification credits with setting it apart from traditional Danish and Norwegian aquavits;
- have its spices macerated and then distilled in pot stills in Sweden, and be blended in Sweden;
- be between 37.5% and 50% alcohol.
Final dilution and bottling may happen outside Sweden. Flavor varies from discreet to intense “depending on local traditions”, and restaurateurs around the country make their own. If the label says one of the three protected names, you know fennel is in it.
How snaps is served
Snaps belongs to the big food holidays. Systembolaget names Christmas, Easter and Midsummer as the traditional brännvin occasions, and the August crayfish party is the fourth.
What Systembolaget’s own serving guide says:
- Not ice-cold. Serve it lightly chilled or at room temperature so more of the aromas come through. Straight from the freezer, less of the spice comes through.
- With salty, sour food. Pickled herring, cured salmon, crayfish and the Christmas table are the classic partners. Swedes shorten one favorite pairing to SOS: smör, ost och sill, or butter, cheese and herring.
- Sipped, not knocked back. Small sips work better with the food.
The glass is small: Systembolaget’s burn-off guide counts one glass of spirits as 4 cl.
The songs: snapsvisor
Each round of snaps is traditionally introduced by a snapsvisa, a short drinking song, and the table drinks when it ends. The rules of the toast are covered in our drinking culture guide; here’s what the songs themselves are like.
- One classic everyone knows. Helan går is the best-known snaps song. Helan, “the whole”, is the traditional name for the first glass of the meal.
- Short and borrowed. The genre is quick, witty and rhyming, about snaps, set to a melody everyone already knows. That’s why a songbook or a printed sheet is enough.
- Still being written. Families and student groups have their own favorites. Stockholm’s Spritmuseum, the spirits museum on Djurgården, runs a Swedish championship for newly written snaps songs; the 2025 edition drew over 250 entries and the 2026 final is on 24 October.
We don’t print lyrics here. The songbooks on the table will have them, and humming along is fine.
Buying it: Systembolaget only
Any drink over 3.5% alcohol sold to take away goes through Systembolaget, the state retail monopoly. That includes every bottle of aquavit.
- Age 20 to buy at Systembolaget; 18 to be served in a licensed bar or restaurant. Bring ID. Details are in our guide to alcohol age limits.
- Holiday closures: Systembolaget shuts on Midsummer Eve, Midsummer Day and the Sunday after, and 24–26 December — the very days snaps is drunk. Buy earlier. Hours are in our Systembolaget hours guide.
- Buying for someone under 20 is a crime (langning). Serving a small amount at a family meal is the narrow exception.
Thinking of a bottle as a gift? What you may carry depends on where you’re going; see taking alcohol home from Sweden.
Driving the next day
Sweden’s drink-driving limit is 0.2 per mille in the blood, counted during or after driving. Systembolaget’s guide puts burn-off for one 4 cl glass of spirits at about 2–2.5 hours for a 70 kg person. A crayfish party with many songs means many glasses, so the limit can still catch you the next morning. The penalties are in our drink-driving guide.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum strength of aquavit | 37.5% ABV (EU law) |
| Swedish GI strength | 37.5–50% ABV |
| Where to buy to take away | Systembolaget only |
| Buying age / serving age | 20 / 18 |
| Price | Same in every Systembolaget store; set per product, may change in March and September — check live |
| Spirits tax in a 70 cl bottle at 40% | About 148 kr (0.28 l pure alcohol × 526.97 kr), before 25% VAT — our calculation |
| Small producers | Reduced spirits tax since 1 July 2026; see alcohol prices |
| Serving temperature | Lightly chilled or room temperature, not ice-cold |
| Driving limit | 0.2 per mille |
FAQ
What is the difference between snaps and aquavit?
Snaps describes how you drink, not what: a small glass of spirits drunk with food, usually with a song. Aquavit is a legally defined spirit — at least 37.5% alcohol and flavored mainly with caraway or dill. Most Swedish snaps is aquavit, but a flavored brännvin with other herbs, berries or citrus can be drunk as snaps too.
What does aquavit taste like?
Aquavit tastes mainly of caraway, dill seed or both — EU law requires those to dominate. Swedish Aquavit, a protected name, must also contain fennel, and its specification describes rounded, blended spicing with little or no sweetness or bitterness. Other herbs are common additions. Flavored brännvin, sold alongside it, can taste of wormwood, citrus, berries or anise.
Is Swedish aquavit a protected name?
Yes. “Svensk Aquavit”, “Svensk Akvavit” and “Swedish Aquavit” form a registered EU geographical indication, protected since Sweden joined the EU. Livsmedelsverket published an amended specification in June 2026: Swedish grain or potato spirit, caraway and/or dill plus fennel, pot-still distillation in Sweden and 37.5–50% alcohol. Bottling may happen abroad.
How do you drink snaps in Sweden?
Lightly chilled, not straight from the freezer, in a small glass alongside herring, crayfish, cured salmon or the Christmas buffet. Each round usually starts with a short drinking song, and the table drinks when it ends. Sip rather than empty the glass; Systembolaget itself advises small sips. How the toast works is covered in our drinking-culture guide.
What is the most famous Swedish snaps song?
Helan går is the best known. The name refers to “helan”, the whole — the first glass of the meal. Snaps songs as a genre are short, witty and rhyming, set to tunes everyone knows, so songbooks or printed sheets on the table are enough. New ones are written every year; Spritmuseum even runs a national championship.
Where can I buy aquavit in Sweden?
Only at Systembolaget, the state alcohol retailer, for anything to take away, and only from age 20 with ID. Bars and restaurants serve it from age 18. Systembolaget closes for Midsummer Eve, Midsummer Day and the Sunday after, and 24–26 December, so buy before the holiday. Prices are identical in every store.
Related guides
- Swedish drinking culture — how to toast and when the table sings.
- Systembolaget guide — how the monopoly store works before you buy a bottle.
- Alcohol prices in Sweden — why a bottle of aquavit costs what it does.
- The crayfish party — the most song-heavy snaps evening of the year.
- Drink-driving limit — the 0.2 per mille rule and the morning after.
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: EU Regulation 2019/787, Livsmedelsverket, Systembolaget, Skatteverket, Sveriges Riksdag, Spritmuseum, Visit Sweden — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.