The copper pot still at Almqvist Destilleri
Traditionally, you would find aquavit on the table at celebratory occasions in Scandinavia, served neat with food – no bad thing, and something that the region’s ubiquitous spirit excels at. But there’s a growing appreciation for aquavit’s mixing potential, too, whether it’s simply paired with tonic, employed in a Nordic twist on the Martini, or part of more elaborate cocktail creations.
In essence, aquavit is nearly identical to gin, starting with a neutral spirit, but replacing juniper with either caraway or dill seed as the primary flavour – think fresh, almost-savoury herbal notes in abundance. As with gin, other botanicals play a supporting role, resulting in a wide variety of flavours and styles. In addition, some aquavits are aged for a period of time in oak.
Made for mixing
In Sweden, at the relatively new Almqvist Destilleri, Bex Almqvist distils both aquavit and gin, and confirms that the process is identical for both, aside from a different mix of botanicals. For Almqvist, mixability was key when creating her aquavit. Further echoing the parallels with gin, she tested early batches with tonic water and in Martinis.
The latter is an excellent place to start exploring aquavit’s mixing potential. ‘A well-made Aquavit Martini can be rich and silky, with hints of caraway and sweet aniseed, and a herbal, spicy finish,’ says Almqvist. ‘Aquavit brings a lot of different flavours, complexity and expressiveness to the table – it’s fun to play with.’
Around the world
Each aquavit-producing country tends to produce a distinctive style of its own, with Danish distillers favouring bold flavours of caraway and dill, and Swedish aquavits often featuring anise and fennel. While Sweden and Denmark tend to use grain spirits as a base, in Norway those produced under the ‘Norwegian aquavit’ designation are made with potato spirit and aged in oak barrels for at least six months. One Norwegian aquavit, Linie, is aged on long ship voyages – a process said to impart unique characteristics to the spirit.
While the Nordic region is undoubtedly aquavit’s spiritual home, this water of life is produced around the globe – in the US in particular, but in the UK and Germany, too. Look out for names such as Svöl from Brooklyn and Vintersol from London to explore the world of aquavit further.
One to try
Almqvist Destilleri Rejmyre Akvavit
Sweden £32.95/50cl
Fresh and herbal, with caraway and fennel to the fore, backed by some bright coriander seed. Viscous and mouthfilling, with a big, almost minty herbal hit and fruity notes from the Swedish apples used. An inspired replacement for gin or vodka in a classic Dry Martini. Alcohol 40%
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The post Discovering Aquavit: Scandinavia and beyond appeared first on Decanter.
Source : https://www.decanter.com/magazine/discovering-aquavit-scandinavia-and-beyond-550261/
