"A Red Aalborg!". This is often the order called out for snaps to accompany herring. The renowned Aalborg snaps is part of a large and ever-increasing family. And one of the latest shots to be added to the clan is the popular dill snaps. From as far back as the Middle Ages, Denmark has had a tradition for distilling eau-de-vie, or “aquavit” as it was known in this part of the world. When the aquavit was ready, the peasants from the farms gathered round for a taste. A bowl would be set upon the table and they took it in turns to slurp up the strong liquor with so-called slopping spoons. Aquavit, distilled from potatoes, wasn't very agreeable straight, so the peasants added caraway to give it an aromatic flavour.

But it was in the abbeys that the true flavoured snaps distilled from herbs and berries and called 'bjesk' saw the light of day. The friars got their raw ingredients from the monastery gardens. Today, it's the chefs at exclusive restaurants who are both reviving the old, flavoured snaps recipes and experimenting as if there's no tomorrow. Sortebro Inn in Odense, for example, invites patrons to sample a range of flavoured snaps distilled with yarrow, sloes, juniper and liquorice root.

And then there's the restaurant's angelica snaps. Angelica, an ancient Danish herb, is vitamin-rich, and the Vikings made sure they carried it into battle – both as a solid and a liquid; it packed them with an extra punch, or so they thought. Sortebro Inn gets its snaps recipes and herbs from the Fynske Landsby open-air museum, its nearest neighbour. Here they have an old 19th century herb garden with all that the recipe requires. The basic recipe is straightforward. First, a strong essence of herbs is concocted and this is then diluted with vodka or another pure spirit. Indeed, you can make your own 'bjesk' from sweet gale leaves or St John's Wort flowers – both herbs growing wild in North Jutland, among other places.

The perfume of the Orient hasn't found its way only into the restaurants’ traditional cuisine. Snaps flavours have also become more exotic – not least in Copenhagen. Should you fancy a snaps flavoured with chilli & lemon or ginger & lemon-grass, just head for Pussy Galore. The café is on Nørrebro, which has been transformed into a hip hangout for the in-crowd. And Pussy Galore is definitely where it’s at. This is where the chef and Danish 'snaps supremo' Dan Schumacher hangs his hat. The café offers a mind-boggling snaps list and Schumacher's flavoured snaps is also produced for off-premises consumption.

In some restaurants, fortified wines and brandies have faced strong competition from the exotic snaps varieties and from Christmas snaps, made from cinnamon, vanilla and star-anise. Here the tipple tends to a certain sweetness, making it particularly well-suited to desserts and as an accompaniment to coffee. The age when snaps was reserved exclusively for a sumptuous Danish lunch table is long past.