After the ingredients have been processed and mixed in the right proportions, they are left to relax in 96% pure alcohol for three months, before water is added and the alcohol percentage drops to 38%. The final product is then tapped into bottles, ready to be enjoyed.

The real secret behind Gammel Dansk’s unique bitter flavor comes from the mixture ratio of the 29 different herbs, spices and flowers, which include angelica root, nutmeg, aniseed, ginger and rowanberries. Until it was launched in 1964, J.K. Asmund and his staff were at complete liberty to mix ingredients until they came up with the right flavor. The Danish counterpart to the competing bitters from abroad was intended to be bitter (of course!) yet not too sharp. No single flavor ingredient was allowed to dominate the overall taste experience, so it took a lot of trial and error by Asmund, his employees and their families, involving the selection and taste sampling of the ingredients that give Gammel Dansk the right aromatic, sharp and bitter characteristics. More than one hundred different herbal substances were tested (raw or partially processed material from plants for the manufacture of medicinal products), and it was not until three years after Asmund’s initial idea about what Gammel Dansk could be, that the final recipe and taste were approved.