How to Drink Like a Local Skier in the Alps: 5 Ski Somm™ Tips
Introduction
Picture this: You’ve just crushed a perfect morning of skiing in the Alps. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and the promise of après-ski indulgence is calling your name. But if you want to drink like a local - not some clueless tourist ordering a vodka soda - you need to know what to sip, when to sip it, and how to do it right.
Drinking in the Alps isn’t about getting wasted (well, not always). Skiing while intoxicated is illegal - so don’t do it, or risk getting cited by the Carabinieri or Gendermerie. Better to watch your new Pommie friends get loaded, then pull out your phone to record the ensuing shenanigans. This is THE reason why social media exists and I am grateful I never had it as a youth.
Drinking in the Alps is about ritual, tradition, and knowing which drink matches the moment - whether you’re warming up with a hot mulled wine, toasting with a regional spirit, or fueling an all-night après-ski party. This is why you’re skiing in Europe. This article won’t touch on wine and beer - which are insanely great and worth your attention, but they merit their own discussion.
I know people are drinking less alcohol these days, especially Millennials and Zoomers. If that’s the case, you’re still included, but you might skip to the last section (non-alcoholic drinks). For Gen Xers, cool Boomers, and anyone else who has a bias towards mischief, hijinks, and joy, let’s continue.
Here are five categories of essential beverages that every skier and rider should master, along with some Eat Drink Fun® Ski Somm™ recommended Alpine tipples in each.
Glühwein makes you warm and happy.
1. Hot Warm-Ups: Because the First Run is Always Cold
Let’s face it, your first run of the day is rarely your best. It’s cold, you’re stiff, and the snow on your skis is clumping like that irritating scum on hot real hot chocolate. That’s where these liquid heaters come in.
Glühwein (The Alpine Classic)
Austria 🇦🇹, Germany 🇩🇪, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Italy 🇮🇹, France 🇫🇷 (vin chaud), Scandinavia 🇳🇴, 🇸🇪, 🇫🇮 (glögg / gløgg)
The KING of warm après-ski drinks. This spiced, aromatic mulled wine is a staple at every ski hut and Christmas market.
Ingredients: Red wine, citrus, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and sometimes a shot of rum or brandy.
How locals drink it: Outdoors, preferably near an open fire or heat lamp, after the first few runs of the day.
A Jägertee enjoys the view over St. Anton, Tirol, Austria
Jägertee (Hunter’s Tea)
Austria 🇦🇹, Germany 🇩🇪, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Italy 🇮🇹
Stronger than Glühwein and not for the faint of heart. Jägertee is the official drink of Austrians who don’t feel their fingers until noon.
Ingredients: Black tea, rum (Stroh 80 if you’re feeling dangerous - you are not allowed to fly ✈️ with this … too flammable🔥), red wine 🍷, citrus 🍊, and spices ☘️.
How locals drink it: Slowly. This stuff sneaks up on you. It also makes you a super confident snowboarder on day 1 of learning to ride.
Kinderpunsch
For Kids & Recovering Hangovers – Germany 🇩🇪, Austria 🇦🇹
If you want the warmth without the booze, this is your move. It’s basically non-alcoholic Glühwein, and it’s surprisingly delicious.
Ingredients: Grape juice, apple juice, cinnamon, cloves, and citrus.
How locals drink it: When skiing with kids or when your liver needs a tactical pause.
Both refreshing and heart warming throughout the day.
2. Cordial Breaks: When You Need an Excuse to Sit in the Sun
By midday, it’s time to trade speed for style. That means heading to a slopeside rifugio, ordering a unique local cordial, schnapps, or brandy, and watching tourists fall off chairlifts.
Bombardino (The Italian Power Play)
Italy 🇮🇹
This hot, boozy custard dream is the stuff of Italian après-ski legend.
Ingredients: Advocaat (egg-based liqueur), brandy, hot milk or espresso, topped with whipped cream.
How locals drink it: In the sun, wearing designer sunglasses, pretending they didn’t just wipe out.
Pro Tip: Ask for one of the popular variations of the Bombardine. They are:
“Calimero” ☕️ – Bombardino with a small shot of espresso (ristretto). My daily 10am ritual.
“Pirata” 🏴☠️ – Bombardino with dark rum instead of brandy.
“Scozzese” 🏴 – Bombardino with whisky.
Heisse Witwe (The Hot Widow)
Switzerland 🇨🇭, Austria 🇦🇹 , Germany🇩🇪
The lesser-known but equally seductive cousin of the Bombardino.
Ingredients: Hot plum liqueur with whipped cream.
How locals drink it: As a mid-afternoon reward when their legs are officially useless.
Chill to Get Spritzed On
Italy 🇮🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Austria 🇦🇹 , Germany🇩🇪
A Spritz is more than just a cocktail - it’s a way of life in the Alps. Light, effervescent, and endlessly refreshing, the Spritz embodies the Italian art of the aperitivo, that sacred pre-dinner ritual of slowing down, soaking in the scenery, and whetting the appetite with something crisp and slightly bitter. Amaro (“bitter” in Italian) is usually the base for these drinks.
Ingredients: Amaro (Aperol, Campari) or Liqueur (St. Germaine), sparkling wine, soda water, ice cubes, garnish
How locals drink it: starting at lunch and proceeding until dinner, the highlight of Apero hour before the evening meal.
Aperol Spritz: now recognizable everywhere. When it’s been to New York you know it was popular in Europe 10 years ago.
Campari Spritz: a bit more bitter and earthier. Also it's red instead of orange. I prefer these.
Hugo: Invented in Südtirol / Alto-Adige. 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts elderflower syrup or St. Germain, 1 part sparkling water, garnish with fresh mint and lime juice. Divine.
Limoncello Sprintz: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts limoncello, 1 part sparkling water, garnish with lemon wheel and fresh basil.
Amaro Spritz: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts dark amaro (e.g., Averna, Montenegro, Cynar, or my favorite, Baulio), 1 part sparkling water, garnish with an orange twist and rosemary.
Schnapps, Eau de Vie (water of life). Yep.
3. Spirit of the Alps: Post-Meal Liquid Digestion
The best skiers and riders don’t just wake up early. They stay out late, drinking regional spirits that prove their invincibility.
Genepi (The Green Fire of the Alps)
Switzerland 🇨🇭, France 🇫🇷, Italy 🇮🇹
This herbal alpine liqueur tastes like Chartreuse if it had a wild love affair with absinthe.
How locals drink it: Neat, as a digestif after a meal of raclette, fondue, or venison.
Pro Tip: If you find homemade Genepi, drink it responsibly—you have no idea how strong it actually is.
Williams Pear Brandy
France 🇫🇷, Austria 🇦🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭
A pure, crystal-clear schnapps that tastes like biting into a perfectly ripe Williams pear—except it’s 40% alcohol.
How locals drink it: Ice-cold, in a tulip glass, after a heavy meal.
Pro Tip: If the bottle has a whole pear inside, it’s the good stuff. If you get a pear sliver in your shot glass, you must get the fruit into your mouth without using your hands. It takes a while to master. G’luck.
Obstler (The Farmer’s Firewater)
Austria 🇦🇹, Germany 🇩🇪
This is a classic schnapps - Obst is the German word for fruit - made from apples, pears, and any other fruit from the orchard that didn’t make it into pies, pastries, jams, or preserves. Obstler is the HOT DOG 🌭 of schnapps. Treat it with due respect.
How locals drink it: After dinner, while arguing about who skied faster that day.
Pro Tip: Don’t shoot it - sip it like a professional … bullshit you shoot this MF.
Grappa (Italian for WTF)
Italy 🇮🇹
Grappa has been fueling F1 cars for decades. Grappa is made from the pomace (a blend of grape seeds, stalks, and stems) that are left over from the wine-making process. So this Italy’s version of Obstler … the slightly classier hot dog 🌭 of wine production.
How locals drink it: If well made (check the price tag), THIS is something you sip. If not, down the hatch.
Pro Tip: In the Dolomites, there are thousands of different local grappas. They correspond to their base grape variety. My favorites are Grappa di Lagrein (grappa from Lagrein grapes) and Grappa di Gewurztraminer. Roner Distillery produces an aged grappa Riserva that spends 18 months in oak barrels to achieve distinctive vanilla and spice notes. Yum.
Our Danish colleagues half-way through the construction of a Fliegende Hirsch architectural miracle.
4. Party Time Shots: When Après Goes Off the Rails
Après-ski isn’t just an 80s, 90s, and 00s pop and EDM dance party - it’s a sport. And these shots mean business.
Fliegender Hirsch (The Flying Stag)
Austria 🇦🇹 & Germany 🇩🇪
Austria’s take on the Jägerbomb, but somehow classier only because you’re actually doing it in Austria.
Ingredients: Jägermeister and Red Bull.
How locals drink it: As a pre-game to a (hopefully) memorable night of après-ski.
Pro Tip: If you’re over 50, reconsider. I had to think about this … in a few years I’ll have to update this to 60.
Flügerl (The Austrian Red Bull & Red Vodka Shot)
Austria 🇦🇹
Because sometimes you need more wings.
Ingredients: Red Vodka (e.g., Eristoff - low alcohol sloe berry vodka) and Red Bull.
How locals drink it: Hold the shot glass like a beer mug, between your thumb and pinky (make a hang loose sign, then grab the shot glass). Look everyone in the eye. As you bring your glasses together to toast, say the word Prost (cheers) starting low and quickly crescendoing as loud as humanly possible - prooooooooooOOOOOOOOST!.
Pro Tip: Everyone likes these. They don’t even have much alcohol in them. Your Austrian bartenders and servers live off them … be careful and make great friends.
Hot chocolate in Lech at Kriegeralp; Skiwasser in Ischgl.
5. Non-Alcoholic Alpine Classics (For When You Need a Second to Detox)
Maybe you’ve had too much. Maybe it’s too early for schnapps (debatable). Either way, these drinks keep the alpine vibes going and they won’t cause as much cancer (I have no study to prove this).
Almdudler
Austria 🇦🇹
What happens when Austrian ginger ale and Apple Juice make love and have a baby? Almdudler.
How locals drink it: Pure (for kids and people who are actually thirsty); also mixed with beer (Almdudler Radler).
Skiwasser
Austria 🇦🇹 & Germany 🇩🇪
A refreshing pink drink made of raspberry syrup, lemon, and sparkling water.
How locals drink it: on a sun lounger facing a million sharp peaks at a cozy slopeside chalet.
Heisse Schokolade (Hot Chocolate)
Italy 🇮🇹, Austria 🇦🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Germany 🇩🇪, Frankreich 🇫🇷
Hot cocoa has many alpine variations. It’s an interesting drink because it says something about each national culture.
Italy: hand crafted and literally made by melting solid chocolate in hot milk. So thick you might have to cut it. Enough sugar to spin up the entire Duggar family. This is luxury goods perfection in a cup.
Germany and Austria: made by an expensive, over-engineered drinks machine that precisely ejaculates warm milk and just slightly not enough chocolate powder or syrup. S’good.
Switzerland: Wonderful hot milk from the world’s happiest cows accompanied by a sad little stingy packet of powdered cocoa mix. That will be 15 CHF. Thank you, goodbye now, go have fun in America.
How locals drink it: In beautiful wooden chalets with friends and family; the black sheep will add rum or brandy.
Conclusion: Drink Like a Local, Not a Tourist
If you want to truly experience the Alps, you need to drink like a skier who belongs there.
Start your day with a warm-up drink.
Take a midday cordial break in the sun.
Embrace local schnapps and digestifs after meals.
Go all-in on après-ski shots - YOLO.
And when needed, calmly reset with delicious non-alcoholic classics.
The Alps aren’t just about skiing. They’re about drinking, storytelling, and unforgettable moments. Choose your beverage wisely, pace yourself, and drink like you’ve been skiing here for decades - even if it’s your first trip. Notice we haven’t even touched on wine and beer … those are topics for another day.
Want to experience one of the best days of wine tasting on skis? Check out this video:
Link to YouTube video about the Wine Ski Safari in Alta Badia
If you are planning a ski trip to Europe and you want someone else to plan and sweat the details, Eat Drink Fun® can help with a Custom Adventure. We’re not a travel agency - think of us more like your personal concierge with an insider’s edge. You book your own flights and lodging, but an EDF Ski Somm™ will guide you toward all the unforgettable experiences: top-notch local cuisine, world-class wines, the perfect après-ski party scene, and, of course, slopes that’ll blow your mind. Because at the end of the day, this is your vacation—might as well make it legendary.
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