Gingersnap Flavored Spirit - Snap

The history of Lebkuchen (spiced German gingerbread cookies) stretches back to the 12th century.

But it took about 900 years for an enterprising tippler to turn them into booze–in the form of Snap.

This new organic gingersnap spirit is the second creation from Philadelphia's Art in the Age (AITA) distillery (the first was the root-beer-inspired botanical liqueur Root). Its recipe pays homage to the Lebkuchen of the nearby Pennsylvania Dutch, made with blackstrap molasses, fresh ginger and spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove.

The distillery takes those ingredients–plus vanilla, brown sugar and Rooibos tea–and distills them into a sophisticated, 80-proof version of the traditional holiday sweet.

Like its predecessor, Snap is a smooth and exceedingly mixable rendition of its namesake. Its wintry, aromatic character, with a palpable gingery zip, is a shoo-in for warmer temperatures (try adding it to mulled apple cider). Or cold: We've been pouring it in lieu of ginger ale to make bourbon-Snap sodas and spiking our cold apple cider, too.

True to its collaborative nature, AITA culled an assortment of recipes from mixologists and avid Snap drinkers, which derive pairing inspiration from many flavors, from red wine to black tea.

Though pairing with a plate of cookies remains an irreproachable option.