Swedish black licorice is one of the few candy types that pairs genuinely well with drinks designed for adults. The reason is the same reason it works alongside chocolate: the salmiak in real Swedish licorice produces a flavor that is savory and mineral rather than purely sweet, which means it has a different kind of relationship with bitter, tannic, or roasted drinks than most candy does.
This guide covers the pairings that work and the ones that do not, organized by drink category. All pairings refer to Haupt Lakrits products, with specific recommendations for each combination.
Why Licorice and Drinks Can Work Well Together
Most candy is too sweet to pair with drinks. The sweetness competes with everything, making wine seem sour and coffee seem harsh. Swedish black licorice with salmiak is different. The mineral sharpness of ammonium chloride (salmiak) creates a counterpoint to sweetness that gives the candy something to offer in a pairing context rather than just adding sugar to a beverage.
Real licorice root also contains glycyrrhizin, a compound that is approximately 50 times sweeter than sucrose by weight, but with a different kind of sweetness: slower to arrive, longer-lasting, with a slight herbal aftertaste. This sustained release means that licorice changes the mouth environment over time in a way that opens up flavors in a paired drink rather than closing them down.
The pairings that work best are ones where the drink has enough character, bitterness, tannin, acidity, or aromatic complexity, to meet the licorice on equal terms.
Coffee
Coffee is the most natural pairing for Swedish black licorice, and it is the most common one in Sweden itself. The bitter, roasted notes in espresso share aromatic compounds with real licorice root. When you eat a piece of salmiak licorice and then drink espresso, the mineral character of the salmiak lingers and makes the coffee taste cleaner and slightly sweeter than it would alone.
The pairing works best with dark roast coffee: espresso, Americano, or strong filter coffee. Light roast coffee, which is more acidic and floral, does not have enough depth to hold against the intensity of salmiak licorice. The acidity can make the combination feel sharp in an unpleasant way.
Best Haupt Lakrits pairings with coffee:
- Chokade Svenskjavlar (dark chocolate + world's saltiest licorice): the bitterness of dark chocolate and dark roast coffee align. The salmiak sharpens the finish of both.
- Nice Mint: the peppermint finish of this piece has a long tradition of appearing in after-coffee contexts. The mint cools and refreshes the palate after a strong espresso.
- Chilla Gunilla: the most straightforward pairing in the range. Milk and dark chocolate on real salmiak licorice works alongside a flat white or lungo without any of the combination's elements overwhelming the others.
Red Wine
Red wine pairs with Swedish black licorice when the wine has enough tannin and fruit concentration to match the intensity of the licorice. Tannic wines suppress the perception of bitterness and amplify the perception of fruitiness. Against a piece of salmiak licorice, a tannic wine seems to soften slightly while the licorice becomes more complex.
The best red wine pairings are with Syrah/Shiraz, Malbec, and Tempranillo. These wines have fruit-forward profiles with enough tannin to handle salmiak without being overwhelmed. Syrah in particular is often described as having its own anise and olive notes, which resonates with the licorice root character in Haupt Lakrits products.
Avoid Pinot Noir and other light reds. The delicacy of a light-bodied red is lost against salmiak licorice. The wine seems thin and the licorice seems overpowering. The pairing does not benefit either component.
Best Haupt Lakrits pairings with red wine:
- Svenskjavlar: high salmiak intensity, no chocolate. The mineral edge of the licorice and the tannin of a Syrah create a pairing that food writers have described as close to a savory food pairing than a candy pairing.
- The Salted Caramel: the caramel rounds the licorice and adds a butter note that sits comfortably alongside a fruity Malbec. Less confrontational than the straight licorice pairings.
White Wine and Sparkling Wine
White wine pairings are more selective. Dry, mineral white wines, Muscadet, Chablis, or a bone-dry Albarino, can work with medium-intensity salmiak licorice because the wines' own mineral character echoes the salmiak. This is a subtle pairing and works best with licorice on the gentler end of the range.
Champagne and other dry sparkling wines pair surprisingly well with chocolate-covered licorice. The bubbles clear the palate between pieces and the yeasty, biscuity notes in good Champagne have a natural affinity with both chocolate and licorice root.
Avoid sweet white wines and off-dry Rieslings. The sweetness of the wine adds to the sweetness of the candy without creating contrast, and the result is cloying rather than complex.
Spirits and Cocktails
Spirits that share flavor compounds with licorice work best. Anise-forward spirits, pastis, ouzo, and sambuca, are obvious complements, though they tend to emphasize the herbal note of licorice root at the expense of the salmiak character. The result is more harmonious than most pairings but less interesting than the contrasts created by other spirit categories.
More unusual and more rewarding are pairings with aged spirits. A peaty Scotch whisky has smoke, earth, and mineral notes that interact with salmiak in a way that amplifies both. The smoke seems deeper after a piece of strong salmiak licorice. The salmiak seems more rounded after a sip of Islay whisky. This pairing is well-documented among spirits writers and has been featured in food media.
Dark rum, particularly aged varieties with caramel and vanilla notes, works well with the sweeter end of the Haupt Lakrits range. The Salted Caramel with a dark aged rum is a dessert pairing more than a savory one, but it holds together.
Beer
Beer pairings with licorice require the same principles as wine: enough bitterness and body to meet the salmiak on equal terms. Porter and stout are the most natural partners. The roasted malt character of a good porter shares aromatic ground with both licorice root and dark chocolate. A piece of Chokade Svenskjavlar alongside a porter is a pairing that works because both things are in the same flavor register: roasted, bitter, slightly sweet, complex.
IPAs are a trickier pairing. The high bitterness of a heavily hopped IPA can clash with salmiak in a way that makes both feel harsh. A more balanced pale ale or a session IPA works better if you want a hop-forward beer with licorice.
Avoid lager and pilsner with strong licorice. The clean, mild character of these beers is overtaken immediately by salmiak. Save them for snacks with less intensity.
Tea
Licorice and strong black tea is an underrated pairing. Assam and Darjeeling second flush have enough tannin and malt to handle medium-intensity salmiak licorice without conflict. The tannin in the tea performs the same function as tannin in red wine: it suppresses bitterness and creates a cleaner finish.
Green tea, with its grassy, light character, does not have enough presence to pair with salmiak licorice. Herbal teas made with actual licorice root create an interesting layered effect with Haupt Lakrits products, reinforcing the root character rather than contrasting with it.
What to Try First
If you are pairing for the first time, start with dark roast coffee and Chilla Gunilla from Haupt Lakrits. It is the most accessible combination and the one most likely to demonstrate why licorice and drinks work together rather than against each other. From there, move toward stronger pairings as your familiarity with the licorice character develops.
Explore the full Haupt Lakrits licorice collection to find the right product for your pairing. For a complete guide to the chocolate-covered range, which has the most versatile pairing potential, see Chocolate Covered Licorice: The Complete Guide.