Jeppson's Malort Advent Calendar 25Pk

Jeppson's Malört Advent Calendar 25Pk is a 25-bottle holiday countdown featuring Chicago's notorious wormwood-based bäsk liqueur at 35% ABV (70 proof). For a spirit that built its reputation on daring drinkers to try it once, packaging it as a daily ritual across the holiday season is a fitting provocation — and a genuine gift for the Malört faithful.

Quick Facts: ABV: 35% (70 Proof)  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA  |  Style: Bäsk (Wormwood Liqueur)  |  Distillery: CH Distillery

Production & Heritage

Jeppson's Malört traces its origins to Carl Jeppson, a Swedish immigrant who sold his wormwood liqueur during and after Prohibition in Chicago. Today, production is handled by CH Distillery in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, keeping the spirit firmly rooted in the city that adopted it as an unofficial mascot. The recipe is deceptively simple: neutral grain spirit macerated with wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and a small amount of sugar. Unlike absinthe, there is no anise or fennel to soften the blow — the wormwood stands alone, delivering maximum bitterness with nothing to hide behind. This stripped-down approach is what separates Malört from nearly every other botanical spirit on the market.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: A sharp herbal lift of wormwood arrives first, followed by citrus peel and honey. Underneath sits a dry, almost medicinal botanical character that signals what's coming.

Taste: The entry is bold and unapologetically bitter — grapefruit pith, crushed greens, and raw botanical intensity. The mid-palate shifts to deep earthy tones of soil and wood, with a medicinal spice that tingles at the tip of the tongue. There is a fleeting flash of citrus, but it doesn't linger long enough to provide comfort.

Finish: Long, dry, and unrelenting. The wormwood bitterness persists well after the sip, leaving a tingling herbal imprint that is unmistakable and, for devotees, deeply satisfying.

How to Drink Malört

The traditional Chicago method is a straight shot at room temperature — no chaser, no apology. For those looking to integrate the bitterness into mixed drinks, Malört's intensity holds up surprisingly well in cocktails. A Malört Negroni (substituting or splitting with Campari) amplifies the bitter backbone with an earthy, green edge. A Chicago Handshake — a shot of Malört paired with an Old Style beer — is the city's signature ritual and arguably the purest way to experience the culture around the spirit. A Malört Sour built with lemon juice and simple syrup uses citrus acidity and sweetness to frame the bitterness rather than mask it.

Best For

• Gifting a friend who considers extreme bitterness a personality trait
• A Chicago expat missing the city's most polarizing tradition
• A holiday party dare that unfolds across 25 consecutive days
• Collectors of cult spirits and novelty drinking experiences

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Malört taste like? Jeppson's Malört delivers an intense, uncompromising wormwood bitterness with earthy, grapefruit-pith, and medicinal herbal notes, followed by a long, dry, lingering finish. It is one of the most aggressively bitter commercially available spirits in the United States.

How does Malört compare to Fernet-Branca? Both are famously bitter, but Fernet-Branca balances its bitterness with layers of mint, chamomile, and spice, creating a more rounded profile. Malört is more direct and confrontational — sharper, greener, and stripped of the sweetening botanicals that make amari approachable.

Is Malört good for cocktails? Malört works well in cocktails that benefit from aggressive bitterness, particularly riffs on the Negroni, bitter highballs, and citrus sours where sweetness and acid can frame its intensity without burying it.

Where is Malört made? Jeppson's Malört is produced at CH Distillery in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The brand has been synonymous with Chicago since Carl Jeppson first sold it in the city during the Prohibition era.

What foods pair well with Malört? Strong, fatty foods stand up best to its bitterness: aged sharp cheeses like Gruyère or Pecorino Romano cut through the herbal intensity; cured meats such as bresaola or soppressata provide richness that contrasts the dryness; dark chocolate with high cacao content mirrors the bitter notes; and Chicago-style deep dish pizza, naturally, is a hometown match.

What sizes does Malört come in? Jeppson's Malört is available in a standard 750ml bottle, and this Advent Calendar format offers 25 individual mini bottles packaged for daily holiday consumption.

Is the Malört Advent Calendar worth the price? The calendar positions as a novelty gift item and seasonal collectible rather than a value play. For Malört fans or anyone buying a memorable holiday gift with built-in entertainment value, the format justifies a premium over a standard bottle.

Why Malört?

No other spirit on the American market occupies the cultural space Malört does — simultaneously reviled and revered, with a cult following that treats each shot as a rite of passage. The Advent Calendar format leans fully into this identity, turning a single dare into a 25-day commitment. The liquid itself is genuinely distinctive: wormwood macerated without the anise, fennel, or layered botanicals that soften other bitter spirits, producing a flavor profile that is bracingly honest. Whether this calendar ends up as a beloved daily ritual or a holiday endurance test depends entirely on the recipient — and that unpredictability is exactly the point.