Aquavits are spiced Scan¬dinavian vodkas with a history as deep as the Nordic forests. "Taking a schnapps" is a sensual pleasure, celebrating the wonders of nature and man's traditions, some of them old as the Vikings. Made from grain and/or potatoes, the liquor is flavored with herbs and berries and is an ancient digestive and expectorant remedy. It is called aquavit after the Latin aqua vitae (water of life).

Today the herbs and other flavoring agents are distilled with neutral spirit into extracts. These are blended with 96 percent pure grain or potato liquor, distilled spirits and water into aquavit.

Sweden's state-run liquor system is known for its large selec¬tion of aquavits (26 brands), some being made since the 1800s, when large manors kept private recipe blends in sherry casks and when aquavit flavoring was a gentleman's pastime. Caraway, rowanberries, anise, elderberries, fennel, lemon and bitter orange are popular spicings, while the bog myrtle, that grows only in the northern¬most areas of Scandinavia, is the spice used in the Swedish Porsbrännvin aquavit.
Today there is renewed interest in aquavit-blending at home. Gourmet hobbyists delight in the creation of a personal schnapps for various occasions. In one to five days clear spirits (vodka) will absorb the right amount of flavouring from, for instance, lemon peels and anise seeds placed in the bottle. Or from the mix of a tiny bit of honey with a twig of tender wormwood that gives a "bitter¬soft" schnapps.

Nordic grain has been distilled into a white spirit since the 1500s (although the very first aquavits were produced by distilling wine). Until an efficient purifi¬cation technique was developed in the 1800s, the unpleasant fusel taste of the spirits was concealed by the addition of herbs. And so the, first aquavits were created.

The schnapps was taken by spoon, several times daily, as a healthy remedy. On Christmas Eve a spoonful was even given to babies! Old silver tippling spoons are collectibles today, but with their 2 cl capacity are also considered a health ¬conscious schnapps measure! A Scandina¬vian schnapps is generally ordered as "a four" or "a six" (4 or b cl) and is served in a small, tapered glass. A very long stem prevents the hand from warming the aqua¬vit, which is always enjoyed cold, although not as frosty cold as an unspiced vodka.

An integral part of Scandinavian food culture history, aquavit is to be enjoyed with food, often salty or spicy, and with beer as a chaser. The 1800s origin of the smorgasbord (Swedish for "sandwich table") was the "aquavit table", a separate appetizer table with aquavits, herring, breads and sharp cheese, enjoyed by the men (while the ladies went off to correct their complicated gowns in the mirror, before being seated).

Schnapps is as simple, or as elegant, as the occasion: a sunset supper on deck after a hard day's sailing with new potatoes boiled in salt-water and dill, and a tin of pickled herring. Or a VIP dinner with white linen, fresh-cured salmon with mustard sauce and glistening crystal to hold the schnapps. The end-of-the-hunt schnapps is poured from a flask, into which the hunter, traditionally, at dawn had dropped a handful of crushed juniper berries, or even a needled twig picked on the trail, to give aroma.

Danes enjoy schnapps with smorrebrod, open-faced sandwiches of thin-sliced rye, heaped with delicious decorations of fish, meats, eggs and greens. The Swedes feast on crayfish, dill and schnapps each August. And the toasting in schnapps to spring, Midsummer, Christmas and Easter is a Scandinavian tradition, both at home, in business and on campus. With it go the
songs with lyrics about the wish for a yo¬yo schnapps, making one drink feel like many more. Or about the wish to be a fish and go swimming in aquavit.

In 1928 an American described the Swedish skål (pronounced skaul) like this: "Take the schnapps glass in your right hand. Keep your elbow at an 87 degree angle and move it forward halfway between chin and waist. Lean forward and, with a facial expression of a bored cow, say "skål" as you lift the glass and empty the schnapps, counting to 10. Bending your elbow again, lower the glass, nod your head, count to 10 again. That's it. Everybody "skåls" in this same manner. It is a charming tradition."

You can create your own aquavit using herbs, fruits or just leaves or twigs from the forest. Below are just a few suggestions. Ann-Charlotte Berglund

SAGE VODKA

If you happen to have your own herb garden, this blend should be easy. Pick the sage leaves and let them dry. Pour them into a bottle of vodka. Let draw for five days. The vodka should be allowed to stand for a few months until the sediment settles at the bottom of the bottle. If you do not have your own herb garden, you can buy a jar of sage at the grocery store.

CHERRY VODKA

Fill ajar with a tight lid upto 2/3 full with cherries. Pour vodka into the jar until it is is full. If you would like to, add 2-3 teaspoons of honey. Let draw for at least two months, preferably half a year. Using a filter, strain the cherries and you have a vodka with a wonderful taste. It only gets better with time.

RED- OR BLACKCURRANT VODKA

This is an old classical fragrance. Let .ripe red- or blackcurrants marinate in vodka. Fill a jar or bottle half full with the berries and fill up to the top with vodka. After about seven days, strain using a filter. Let the vodka stand for a couple of months until the sediment has settled at the bottom of the bottle. Now you have an exciting concentrate that you can mix with pure vodka, perhaps half and half, for the perfect aquavit.

The leaves from a red- or blackcurrant bush are also ideal to spice vodka with. Pick the leaves before the bush flowers.

JUNIPER BERRY VODKA

Be careful now. You cannot use the green juniper berries as they contain turpentine. Pick the old, dark berries that are blue in colour. The berries should be picked during early fall.
Clean the berries well and let them air-dry for a few days on clean trays. Crush the peel and place in a jar or bottle and fill up with vodka.

Juniper berries are thirsty. After just a few hours, the berries will have absorbed so much vodka, that it is time to fill up again. After a week you have a good concentra¬tion that can now be strained and put away for some months. When the sediment has settled at the bottom of the bottle, you can transfer the liquid into new bottles, leaving the bottom layer behind.

For a juniper berry vodka use 5 percent of the concentration and the rest plain vodka. The drink may look a bit oily but that is okay.

ROWANBERRY VODKA

Pick the ripe berries, rinse them and add them to vodka in a jar or bottle. After a week strain using a filter. The color of the liquid will now be pale red. Mix this concentrate with pure vodka for a heavenly drink. The proportions are really up to you, but more than 20 percent is not advisable.

Scandinavian Press Issue 1-1994