In Denmark, snaps is the small, ice cold glass of aquavit or flavored spirit that accompanies a long lunch of herring and rye bread, with a toast, a skål, and eye contact across the table before each sip. Families infuse their own with whatever the garden offers, and dill is the classic: it tastes of the same summer herbs that flavor the herring and the new potatoes, so the glass and the plate seem to agree with each other.

It could hardly be simpler. Fresh dill goes into a jar with a clear spirit for a few days, is strained out, and leaves behind a pale green, grassy, faintly anise flavored snaps that is excellent with fish. Start it on the Thursday before a race and it is ready by Sunday lunch. For a zero proof version that keeps the same flavors and the same ceremony, see the first variation.

The infusion

Ingredients

• 1 small bunch fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon dill seeds
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 3 cups (700 ml) clear aquavit or vodka

Method

1. Rinse the dill and shake it dry, then pat it gently with a clean towel. Pull off any thick stalks and tear the fronds roughly. Crush the dill seeds lightly in the mortar, or in the bag with a rolling pin.
2. Peel one strip from a washed lemon with the vegetable peeler, pressing lightly so you take only the yellow skin.
3. Put the dill, seeds and lemon peel in the jar and pour over the spirit. Push the dill under the surface with a clean spoon, close the lid and give it a gentle shake.
4. Leave the jar in a cool, dark cupboard for 2 to 3 days, shaking it once a day. Taste a teaspoon on day two.
5. Pour through the sieve into a jug, then through a coffee filter or cloth set in the funnel into the clean bottle. Do not squeeze the dill. Seal and chill the bottle in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

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