Whiskey may have been with us for centuries, but it doesn’t always have that name. The word itself is derived from uisce beatha, an Irish and Scottish Gaelic translation of the rather colorful expression “water of life”, or aqua vitae, which was coined by the Romans and served as a collective term for any strong drink from foreign countries .
For the Romans, aqua vitae was brandy in Gaul, gin in the lowlands, vodka in the Slavic East and whiskey in Caledonia and Hibernia.
In the cold countries of Northern Europe, however, it was something else again. Today the locals call their local drink schnapps or schnapps, but in general it still goes by the centuries-old name aquavit.
The drink is considered a fiery spirit that should be swallowed rather quickly than enjoyed – as befits people who fight with birch branches in the sauna and whose idea of ​​a good time is to cut a hole in the ice and go swimming . As a result, aquavit has been lurking in one of the darker corners of the beverage world for generations.
But now the spirit gradually emerges, and thanks to our growing enthusiasm for everything scandi-related (with the exception of birch branches and ice swimming), many people are beginning to discover its uniqueness and diversity. So, if you’ve ever wondered what’s in that tiny jar in front of your favorite brooding Nordic detective, here are some clues about the secret of the aquavit.
First of all, it has a legal definition. Just as gin must be flavored with juniper to qualify for the name, EU law requires that aquavit must be distilled with either caraway or dill and should have at least 37.5% alcohol, about the strength of your average Gins. The basic spirit is usually made from grains or potatoes and the finished product can either be clear – called taffel or table aquavit – or amber from aging in barrels previously filled with another drink.
In the past, aquavit was generally drunk neat, but there are signs that this is changing. Danish aquavit is served cold in a shot glass and either drunk or thrown back. Norwegian aquavit is usually stored at room temperature, served in a tulip glass, and drunk like a whiskey or cognac, although some brands mix well with ginger ale. Swedes also serve their aquavit in a tulip glass, but keep the drink chilled and usually clean. In Iceland, aquavit is known as Brennivin and is not only drunk neat, but also used as an alternative to gin or rum in a cocktail.
What Aquavit really brings out, however, is the combination with food. If you like Scandinavian hodgepodge, then Aquavit is an indispensable companion. A sandwich with Danish pickled herring and a dash of Aalborg is a treat; a Swedish crab buffet calls for a Skane Aquavit accompaniment; and on Germany’s Baltic coast, a glass of Maltese cross can lift a soft, smoked eel-laden roll to a completely different level. For connoisseurs, the Icelandic Brennivin is the traditional side dish to Hakarl, the island’s infamous fermented shark dish, which is more of a stress test than a pleasure. In all fairness I would skip the shark and stick with the Brennivin.
Among the top brands to look out for is Denmark’s most famous variety, Aalborg, a brand named after a town in North Jutland that inspired poets and is firmly anchored in Danish culture, although production moved to Norway in 2015 . In Sweden, Skane is the classic, named after the southern province of the country where the Wallander novels and television dramas were filmed. OP Andersen is one of the oldest varieties in the country, first introduced in 1891. Norway’s popular Aquavit line gets its name because it is taken twice on a sea voyage across the equator during its ripening period – the spirit spends four months in sherry casks and is shipped to Australia and back before bottling.
When you’re ready to try aquavit, keep a bottle of Aalborg Taffel Aquavit in the freezer and pour a glass when you have smoked salmon or a tasty oily fish. My favorite is Bornholm Aquavit, from Denmark’s fantastic holiday island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It’s hard to come by outside Denmark, but you can collect it duty-free on the ferry crossing – and the bonus is that you can enjoy the fantastic food and drink in Scandinavia’s sunniest place.
