What does Malört taste like?
Malört tastes intensely bitter, like chewing grapefruit pith and herbs, with a bitterness that hangs around for minutes and almost no sweetness to soften it.
Malört
brutally bitter grapefruit pith
Malört is a wormwood liqueur in the Swedish bäsk style, and Jeppson's from Chicago is the one everyone means. The first sip is grapefruit peel and earthy herbs, then the bitterness builds and keeps building long after you swallow. There's barely any sugar to hide behind. It's become a Chicago rite of passage, half dare and half badge of honor, and the face people make after their first shot even has a name: 'Malört face.' Some people genuinely come to love it. It's about 35% alcohol.
Where you’ll see it
As a shot at Chicago bars, often with a can of cheap lager on the side. Craft bars also slip small amounts into Negroni riffs and sours.
Order it if you love Fernet, Campari and grapefruit pith, or if a friend dared you.
Quick questions
- Why does Malört taste so bad?
- It's built around wormwood, one of the most bitter plants used in drinks, with very little sugar. Most bitter liqueurs balance that with sweetness; Malört mostly doesn't.
- Is Malört the same as absinthe?
- No. Both use wormwood, but absinthe is high-proof and tastes of anise, like black licorice. Malört is bitter grapefruit and herbs at about 35%, with no licorice.