Schnapps is a type of alcoholic beverage that can take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neutral grain spirits. The word "schnapps" is derived from the colloquial German word Schnaps, which is used in reference to spirit drinks. There are two different styles of schnapps:

• European Schnapps: This type of schnapps can describe any strong distilled spirit, particularly those of at least 32 percent alcohol by volume (ABV, 64 proof) . European schnapps are often drunk straight and come in various flavors, such as peach, apple, pear, plum, cherry, peach, or apricot.

• North American Schnapps: This type of schnapps describes a category of sweetened liqueurs ranging in flavor from fruits like apples to butterscotch, peppermint, and root beer. North American schnapps are often made by mixing neutral grain spirit with fruit syrup, spices, or other flavors, and are best reserved for mixed drinks.

Schnapps can be made from fermented fruit juices and the base liquor, and are fruit brandies, or eau de vie, and a strong, often clear, distilled spirit, much like a lightly-flavored vodka. The European style of schnapps tends to be well-crafted 80-proof liquors that are comparable to other brandies, while North American schnapps are often on the lower end of the quality spectrum and seen by some as novelty liqueurs. True schnapps doesnt have any sugar added, but the word is often used to refer to something fairly different, which usually has a substantial amount of sugar and additional flavoring added and is quite sweet as a result. Some popular flavors of schnapps include apple, banana, butterscotch, cinnamon, peach, and peppermint.