May a good schnapps be chilled in the freezer?
Especially in summer, we are often asked whether one or the other schnapps doesn't also taste good chilled. In principle, opinions differ on the question of whether it should be iced or warm. There are those who don't like warm drinks at all, and others who prefer them at room temperature. Basically, we recommend and prefer room temperature when it comes to our Alter Tiroler wood-matured schnapps. Only then can the full variety of aromas develop.
But we wanted to know more precisely and asked our colleagues from quality assurance and production which spirits may be cooled in the freezer department after all , and why, and which are better left out.
The volume makes the difference
Every spirit has a certain proportion of pure alcohol. The freezing point of this pure alcohol is -114.5°C. You could therefore put pure alcohol in any commercially available freezer and keep it there for as long as you like. But who has pure alcohol at home?
Commercially available freezers reach temperatures of up to -24°C. This is where it becomes critical even for 40% fruit schnapps. In principle, anything with more than 40% alcohol by volume can be put in the freezer. Nevertheless, caution is advised.
Spirits and their freezing point
Beer with 4.5 to 6.5% vol. freezes from about -2°C, wine and sparkling wine with approx. 10-12% vol. from about -5°C; liqueur with 18% vol. from about -8°C,; fruit schnapps with 35% vol. from about -18°C; fruit brandy, gin, vodka with 40% vol. from about -22°C. Wine and sparkling wine should never be placed in the freezer, nor should liqueurs and lighter fruit spirits.
Why good fruit schnapps does not belong in the freezer despite 40% vol.
A good fruit schnapps is a piece of nature. During fermentation, which is a completely natural process, the fructose of the fruit is transformed into alcohol. The alcoholic mash is then distilled. Since we bottle our fruit brandies naturally and do not filter them excessively, they contain so-called mucilages or fruit oils. These smallest components, which are not visible to the naked eye, sometimes react to cold.
A fruit schnapps with a vol. of 35% reacts sensitively from about -10° to -15° Celsius. The more naturally it is produced, the faster it reacts and becomes cloudy. We recommend storing and drinking fruit schnapps at room temperature. This is simply because the natural aromas can then be experienced more intensively.
