The alcoholic beverage traditionally consumed with Swedish Midsummer herring is snaps.
Snaps is a small serving of distilled spirit traditionally enjoyed alongside festive Swedish foods, especially pickled herring. At Midsummer, it is commonly served with new potatoes, sour cream, chives, crispbread, and other items from the seasonal buffet.
In Sweden, snaps is often aquavit or another flavored spirit, frequently seasoned with herbs and spices such as caraway, dill, or anise. The word therefore describes the serving tradition as well as the small glass of spirit, while aquavit identifies a common type of drink poured as snaps.
The ritual is social as much as culinary. Guests often sing short drinking songs, called snapsvisor, before raising their glasses. “Helan går” is one of the best-known examples. Beer may also appear at the table, but snaps is the classic pairing associated with Midsummer herring.