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The Origins of Jeppson’s Malört, Chicago’s Weirdest Liqueur

The Swedish-style spirit almost dares you to try it.
ByLauren Dana|
Go on, it dares you.
Go on, it dares you. | drmakkoy/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images (skyline); liangpv/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images (starburst); CH Distillery (bottle)

Take a shot of Malört, and you’ll probably make a face (and maybe even gag), but that’s part of the fun. This bitter liqueur has become a Chicago legend—not because it tastes good, though some insist it does, but because drinking it feels like a dare. You either regret it or wear like a badge of honor.

  1. Malört: Liquor As Medicine
  2. From Local Joke to Cult Favorite
  3. Only in Chicago

Malört: Liquor As Medicine

Malört (Swedish for “wormwood”) was introduced to Chicago in the early 1900s by Carl Jeppson, a Swedish immigrant who modeled it after brännvin, a traditional Nordic distilled spirit. Malört takes the bitterness of brännvin to the next level: it’s flavored with wormwood, the key ingredient in absinthe, known for its potent bitterness.

During Prohibition, Jeppson had to get creative. He marketed the tonic as a medicinal remedy, claiming it cured stomach worms and parasites, and sold it door-to-door. The authorities didn’t even try to stop him, probably because they couldn’t imagine anyone choosing to drink it recreationally. After Prohibition was repealed, the brand quietly stuck around.

From Local Joke to Cult Favorite

In the 2000s, Malört began making a comeback. Bartenders leaned into its infamous reputation, serving it as a challenge or inside joke. People started posting their “Malört face”—think puckered lips, watering eyes, and instant expressions of regret—online. It became the city's liquid inside joke. As Bon Appétit put it, “a shot of it soon became a Chicago rite of passage.”

A man in a brown beanie and brown plain shirt making an anguished facial expression after drinking Malört liqueur.
Malört face. | Kristopher Volkman, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Ironically, at that time, Malört wasn’t even made in Chicago. It was contract-distilled in Florida for over 30 years until CH Distillery bought the brand and brought it back home in 2018. After recreating the recipe from scratch, the liqueur still packed the same punch. The only thing that changed was the color. The original contained artificial yellow dye; CH Distillery doesn’t use artificial coloring.

Only in Chicago

Should you try Malört the next time you’re in Chi-town? Absolutely—if only to say you did. Whether it becomes your go-to nightcap or a one-time mistake, Malört is a uniquely Chicago experience and one of the city’s most enduring rites of passage. You’ll find it everywhere from dive bars to cocktail lounges, but purists know: the real move is a straight shot, chased with a beer—and maybe a look of mild regret.

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