Snaps

{{Short description|Small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal}}

{{about|the Nordic alcoholic drink|other alcoholic drinks with a similar name|Schnapps|other uses|Snap (disambiguation){{!}}Snap}}

{{more citations needed|date=February 2024}}

File:Snaps at a sittning (brightened).jpg

File:Fem män höjer sina snapsglas ute i en trädgård stående vid ett trädgårdsbord med kaffekoppar och flaskor - Nordiska Museet - NMA.0048890.jpg

In the Nordic countries, especially Denmark and Sweden, but not in Iceland, snaps ({{small|pronounced}} {{IPA|sv|ˈsnaps|}}, {{langx|fi|snapsi|italic=no}}), among many nicknames, 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. Spirits such as whisky or brandy are rarely drunk as snaps. In Norway, a more common name is dram (from the unit of the same name).{{cite web |title=snaps |url=https://ordbokene.no/nn/snaps |website=ordbokene.no |access-date=2025-02-14}}{{cite web |title=dram |url=https://ordbokene.no/nn/dram |website=ordbokene.no |access-date=2025-02-14}} One of Finland's strongest alcohol drinks served with snaps is Marskin ryyppy, named after Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim.Uola, Mikko: Marskin ryyppy: marsalkkamme juomakulttuuria chevalier-kaartista ylipäällikön ruokapöytään. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2002. {{ISBN|951-746-385-5}}

The word "snaps" also has the same meaning as German Schnapps ({{IPA|de|ʃnaps|lang}}), in the sense of "any strong alcoholic drink".{{cite book |title=Norwegian-English Dictionary |last=Haugen |first=Einar |year=1965 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison }}  The definition given is "nip, schnaps; shot (of brandy,
aquavit, etc.)."