Akvavit
Akvavit or aquavit (
Akvavit gets its distinctive flavour from spices and herbs, and the dominant flavour must (according to the European Union) come from a distillate of caraway and/or dill seed. It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume or 80 proof (U.S.). The EU has established a minimum of 37.5% ABV for akvavit to be named as such.[3]
Etymology
The word aquavit derives from the
Drinking culture
Akvavit is an important part of
Production
Akvavit must be distilled from an agricultural base, most commonly grain or potatoes.[8] Similarly to gin it is flavored with botanicals. The dominant flavors must be caraway or dill, sometimes both. Swedish Akvavit must also contain fennel in order to be labeled as such. Other common botanicals include: cardamom, cumin, anise, coriander. The Danish distillery Aalborg makes an akvavit distilled with amber which imparts a pine-like citrusy note. The Aalborg brand is now produced in Norway by Arcus Group.
The recipes and flavours differ between brands, with each brand's unique characteristics coming from distillation methods and supporting botanicals in their blends. Un-aged Akvavit is clear while aged Akvavit typically has a pale straw to golden hue depending on how long it has been aged in oak casks (most common in Norway) or the amount of colorant used. Normally, a darker color suggests a higher age or the use of young casks, though artificial
Origin and traditional variants
Dear lord, will your grace know that I send your grace some water with messenger Jon Teiste which is called Aqua vite and the same water helps for all his illness that a man can have internally.
— Lord of Bergenshus castle, Eske Bille
The earliest known reference to "aquavit" is found in a 1531 letter from the Danish Lord of
While this claim for the medicinal properties of the drink may be rather inflated, aquavit is popularly believed to ease the digestion of rich foods. In Denmark, it is traditionally associated with
It is also a regular on the traditional Norwegian Christmas meals, including roasted rib of pork and rib of lamb (
Among the most important brands are Løiten, Lysholm, Opland and Simers from Norway, Aalborg and Brøndum from Denmark and O.P. Anderson from Sweden. While the Danish and Swedish variants are normally very light in colour, most of the Norwegian brands are matured in oak casks for at least six months, and for some brands even as long as 12 years, making them generally darker in colour. While members of all three nations can be found to claim that "their" style of aquavit is the best as a matter of national pride, Swedish akvavit is typically the most renowned around the world, specifically so in the culinary scene. Whilst the Norwegian akevitt tend to have, if not the most distinctive character, then at least the most overpowering flavour and deepest colour due to the aging process.[citation needed]
Peculiar to the Norwegian tradition are Linje Aquavits (such as "Løiten Linie" and "Lysholm Linie"). Linje Aquavit is named after the tradition of sending oak barrels of aquavit with ships from Norway to Australia and back again, thereby passing the equator ("linje") twice before being bottled. The constant movement, high humidity and fluctuating temperature cause the spirit to extract more flavour and contributes to accelerated maturation.
Norwegian aquavit distillers Anora (former Arcus) has carried out a test where they tried to emulate the rocking of the casks aboard the "Linje" ships while the oak barrels were subjected to the weather elements as they would aboard a ship. The finished product was, according to Anora, far from the taste that a proper linje aquavit should have.[citation needed]
Therefore, to this day boats loaded with "Linie Aquavit" set sail from Norway to Australia and back again before they are bottled and sold as part of the Norwegian Christmas traditions but also enjoyed all year round.
Outside the Nordic countries
Aquavit was seldom produced outside of the Nordic countries but that began to change dramatically starting around 2010, especially in the United States, particularly in areas that have a larger concentrations of people with Nordic heritage. An exception, however, is Northern Germany, and in particular the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which was part of Denmark until the 19th century (see: History of Schleswig-Holstein) and still has a notable Danish minority. Among the most important German brands are Bommerlunder from Flensburg, Kieler Sprotte from Kiel and Malteserkreuz. The latter brand has been produced in Berlin since 1924 by a subsidiary of Sweden's Vin & Sprit AB (now Pernod Ricard), the producer of many Swedish akvavits, and can be considered a German imitation of the Nordic aquavits, since it is based on an original Danish recipe. Brands from Schleswig-Holstein, however, often have a long history, comparable to their Nordic counterparts. Bommerlunder, for instance, has been made since 1760. Aquavit is also an important part of the traditional cuisine of Schleswig-Holstein. German aquavit is virtually always distilled from fermented grain, and generally has an alcohol content of 38% by volume, marginally less than Scandinavian aquavits.
Psychopomp Microdistillery
Spellings
- Danish: Akvavit, Snaps, Brændevin or Dram
- Norwegian: Akevitt, Brennevin or Dram
- Swedish: Akvavit, Snaps or Kryddat brännvin
- Dutch: Aquavit
- English: Aquavit or Akvavit
- Faroese: Akvavitt
- Estonian: Akvaviit
- Finnish: Akvaviitti
- French: Aquavit
- German: Aquavit, Kö(ö)m
- Icelandic: Ákavíti
- Italian: Acquavite
- Polish: Okowita
- Portuguese: Aquavit
- Ukraine: Оковита
See also
- Brännvin, a more general term that includes unflavoured brands
- Poitín, an Irish distilled spirit occupying a similar place in the culture
References
- ISBN 0394562623
- ^ Marsteller, Amanda. "10 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About Aquavit". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ EU spirits regulation (PDF) Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2008 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89, Appendix II No. 24, Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ^ Nickles, Jane (2015). Certified Specialist of Spirits Study Guide. Society of Wine Educators. p. 92. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18.
- ISBN 0-06-054218-7.
- ^ "Traditions – Nordstjernan". www.nordstjernan.com.
- ^ Philbrick, Hope S. (2008-08-08). "Drink to your health the Scandinavian way – with aquavit". SFGate. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ^ "Akvavit". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ A transcription of the original letter can be found here: Diplomatarium Norvegicum – XI p. 630, Date: 13 April 1531. Place: Bergenhus.
"[...] Kiere herre werdis ether nade wiide att ieg szende ether nade nogit watn mett Jonn Teiste som kallis Aqua vite och hielper szamme watn for alle hande kranchdom som ith menniske kandt haffue indwortis. [...]"
("[...] Dear lord, will your grace know that I send your grace some water with Jon Teiste which is called Aqua vite and helps the same water for all his illness that a man can have internally and externally. [...]") - ^ "Psychopomp Microdistillery". www.microdistillery.co.uk.
- ^ "Aquavit Archives". Okanagan Spirits.
- ^ "Our Spirits". Long Table Distillery.
- ^ "Spirits". Sheringham Distillery.