Peppermint Schnapps substitute

Substitutes for Peppermint Schnapps with ratios

1. 2Simple syrup plus peppermint extract

   Close match

   Use 1 tbsp simple syrup + a scant ⅛ tsp peppermint extract for every 1 tbsp schnapps

   The direct rebuild, covering sweetness, mint and liquid volume in one go.

   What changes

   Best for

   hot chocolate, brownies, frostings, cheesecake, alcohol-free cooking, kid-friendly drinks

   Flavour-wise this is very close, and in anything warm or baked it is essentially indistinguishable. What is missing is the alcoholic cool bite, which is a real part of the schnapps experience in a shot or a cold cocktail but irrelevant in a brownie or a mug of cocoa. Add the extract at the end and taste, because extract strength varies by brand and mint is unforgiving.

2. 3Vodka plus peppermint extract and sugar

   Close match

   Use 1 tbsp vodka + 1 tsp sugar + a scant ⅛ tsp peppermint extract for every 1 tbsp schnapps

   A DIY schnapps that matches the real thing on strength as well as flavour.

   What changes

   Best for

   candy cane cocktails, peppermint patty shots, spiked hot chocolate, batched holiday drinks

   The closest you can get without buying schnapps, and the only option here that keeps the alcohol level right, which matters if the drink is meant to be a drink. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves or it will sit gritty at the bottom of the glass. Slightly hotter and less rounded than commercial schnapps, which is usually a shade lower in proof.

3. 4Peppermint extract alone

   Different texture

   Use ¼ tsp extract for every 2 tbsp schnapps, plus 2 tbsp of milk or water to replace the liquid

   Concentrated peppermint flavouring with essentially no sugar or bulk.

   What changes

   Best for

   brownies, cookies, cheesecake, buttercream, ice cream

   Fine for baking, but you must account for the two things extract does not provide. It has no sugar, so a frosting or filling will taste less sweet, and it has no volume, so a batter that expected two tablespoons of liquid will be stiffer. Add milk, cream or water tablespoon for tablespoon. The mint itself is sharper and cleaner than the liqueur's, which is often an improvement.

4. 5Crushed candy canes or starlight mints

   Different texture

   Use 1 tbsp finely crushed candy for every 1 tbsp schnapps

   Hard peppermint candy, which is sugar and peppermint oil in solid form.

   What changes

   Best for

   peppermint bark, hot chocolate, cookie topping, ice cream, rimmed glasses

   Underrated for exactly the recipes schnapps usually appears in. In hot chocolate a crushed cane dissolves and gives you both the sweetness and the mint. In peppermint bark it is the traditional finish anyway. The advantage over any liquid is that it adds no water, so it cannot seize melted chocolate. The drawback is texture: crushed candy in a cold drink stays gritty until it dissolves, and in a batter it can turn to sticky pockets.

5. 6Green creme de menthe

   Different texture

   Use the same amount

   The same liqueur as white creme de menthe with green food colouring added.

   What changes

   Best for

   grasshopper-style drinks, mint chocolate desserts, frostings

   Tastes identical to the white version, so the only decision is cosmetic. Poured into white hot chocolate or a cream cocktail it produces a murky pale green that reads more like pistachio than peppermint, and mixed into red-and-white peppermint bark it looks wrong. Use it when green is fine or wanted, and otherwise track down the clear bottle.