Is Swedish Bitters available in Switzerland? Some random website that I picked up via Google thinks so -
If it is here, what's the local name for this tonic?
I could not find anything that looked like it in Müller Reformhaus today. I was thinking of trying an Apotheke, but ducked out because I foresaw a confusing conversation about a possibly unknown product that has a strange name
Sorry I won't be able to help you with the Swiss name for this.
But reading the quote - what first came into my mind was a kind of Aquaivit or snaps ....
I googled your quote: http://www.campingsurvival.com/swedbitsurto.html
Being Swedish - this is the first time I've heard about this kind of bitter...
So there is a way to get a taste like Swedish Bitters in an alcoholic drink - if you don't already know them, check out Fernet Branca or Averna. They are after-dinner drinks with a kick. Good with ice or without, and guaranteed to make your taste-buds move into high gear.
Here is a
link to a couple of Swedish bitters - "Schwedenkräuter" or "Schwedenbitter" recipes, with usage and application of same ( all in German though ).
I know for a fact you can get them here in Switzerland, either pre-mixed, as a tincture, or you can buy the dried ingredients and infuse them in your own choice of spirit. I find vodka to be the best.
The Maria Treben tincture seems to be highly recommended.
You will certainly be able to get them at any 'Apotheke' or chemist, the larger ones will have it in stock, or else they will most certainly order them for you.
Something to be recommended - Klosterfrau Melissengeist or Eau de Mélisse, a kind of alcoholic / herbal cure-all, from stomach ache to nerves.
Available from every chemist here.
Made and distributed by Melisana, Zürich.
Thanks. Now that I have some German names, things should be easy. (Since one of the names is Schwedenbitter, I guess it would have worked out anyway).
@raincookie - Klosterfrau Melissengeist is listed as being good for 'meteoropathy'. I had to look that up
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoropathy
This made be think about the Föhn wind. When I first heard about it, I did not give much credence to this idea that it causes illness. Then a couple of months ago, my wife felt very out-of-sorts for a few days with no energy and no particular explanation. I was talking to a local about unconnected matters just after that, when he told me that the Föhn had been blowing. Could have been coincidence, but I had better get my bottle of Klosterfrau Melissengeist ready
Thanks - I 'll check them out eventhough my intake of bitters are usually rather limited - mostly I go for a snaps or two when eating pickled herring a few times a year... but new types of after dinner drinks are always worth a try
When checking out the recipes for Swedish bitters/Schwedenbitters in the links provided in this thread, it strikes me that none of them contains wormwood (or it might be my lack of German contribute to the lack of...).
Hello Piafia, you will find in the Maria Treben recipe there is
Wermut , which is German for Wormwood.
Thanks ! - I guess a better use of dictionaries could help me sometimes
OK I have some Klosterfrau Melissengeist. From talking to a staff member in Reformhaus, it seems that it's good for stomach upsets or headaches. I think of Swedish Bitters differently - it's a digestive aid that you can take 30 minutes before a meal, and it's intended to help if you have a hit a patch of being slightly under the weather, and you are trying to take precautions against the next stage of actually becoming ill. Maybe I track down some Swedish Bitters too and get the best of both worlds.
Just don't drink too much of either - and certainly not together!!
A friend of mine works in a retirement home and has often told me how the little old ladies get addicted to Klosterfrau Melissengeist, taking it in large amounts, sweetened with sugar!!
Now you have got me googling further. The main ingredient is lemon balm, which has a calming effect. Sahelian is a good site for such things and this is his information roundup on lemon balm
http://www.raysahelian.com/lemonbalm.html
The bit about sedative effect is very interesting. I tried Klosterfrau Melissengeist last night, for no particular reason except to try it. I normally wake up about 6.30-7.00am but this morning I slept like a log through to 7.45am. It was a good night's sleep.
No evidence that lemon balm is addictive, I'll take a closer look at the other ingredients to check what's hooking the little old ladies. Anyway, this is definitely a different type of tonic to Swedish Bitters which is aimed at healthy digestion (with the goal of general well-being).
I think it's the alcohol they like......!!!
Ohhhh right....
"Medication contains 79% alcohol by volume"
Maybe it should say 'alcohol contains medication'. All becomes clear!
There are many herb based "digestives" available but I'm not quite sure if they are similar to "Swedish bitters" as I've never had one. My favourite and probably most bitter is Fernet Branca. Other brands are Underberg, Jägermeister, Averna, Ramazzotti, and the likely most sweet, Appenzeller.
Thanks. Although I think some misunderstanding started somewhere - Swedish Bitters is a health tonic where the emphasis is on medicinal effect, and you take it by the teaspoon, and the alcohol is the tincture that extracted the active ingredients of the herbs.
Fernet Branca and Averna, and I assume the others in the list, are recreational alcohol that arrives in a tumbler in a bar or restaurant. AFAIK the herbs in them are a mystery, sort of like the Coca-Cola recipe, because no-one really cares!
There are a couple of online shops (mostly based in Germany) which delivier to austria and switzerland. You could try the
"Schwedenbitter und Schwedenkräuter Shop" for example.
I do not know if
Amol can be classified as type of bitters which you would be looking for but I can highly recommend it in any household as a general use medicine e.g. it helps to cure minor headaches, colds and also serves as a heat rub. When I was younger I used to have a teaspoon or two in my tea and it kept me warm. It also relieves muscular and joint pains when applied on the soar spots. I am not sure if it is available in CH though.