NORDIC SPIRITS

The most Nordic of all drinks are the spiced aquavits, so called after the Latin aqua vitae, meaning "water of life". Made from grains or potatoes, aquavit is basically vodka flavoured to local taste. A kippis or skdl with this ancient digestive is a sensual pleasure that for Nordic people has the connotations of the wonders of nature and traditions that go as far back as to Viking times.

And even if you can't stand the taste of Gammel Dansk, or feel that aquavits are too strong and the Swedish punsch too sweet, the culture and history associated with the Nordic spirits are quite fascinating.

When the Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Swedish vodka invaded US restaurants and bars. Everything Russian was boycotted in the US and the vodka brand leader Smirnoff was no exception. By the time the Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan, Absolut was firmly entrenched as the number one import vodka on the North American market. Today Absolut Vodka is the world's fifth liquor brand (selling 60 million liters last year), and its inventive advertising (see Scandinavian Press Winter 2000) was rated the century's seventh best campaign by Advertising Age.

Had it not been for Absolut, the world may not have realized that there was a substantial Nordic liquor production. The Danish Cherry Heering liqueur has always had an international following but other exports from the Nordic countries have rarely been more than in the form of purchases made by expatriates around the world. With developments like the loosening of the alcohol monopoly in Sweden, and following the example of Absolut, things have started to happen and there are several new Nordic liquor brands aiming for an international market.

Michel Roux, who was the man behind Absolut's success in North America, has just introduced OP. Natural Flavoured Spirit. OP. is a blend of orange, peach and ginger in aquavit, packaged in a "frosted bottle of graphic beauty", designed by Gabor Palotai in the 1920s Swedish Grace style. His Crillon Importers also markets the original O.P. Andersson aquavit as well as the Herrgård and Skåne Aquavit that are also produced by the ex-Swedish monopoly, V&S - Vin och Sprit. An earlier attempt with the Sundsvall Vodka failed however, on the US market.

The Swedish deregulation has spawned the Motala distillery Svensk Vodka to break ground in Canada with one of its brands. Barton Brands Inc in Chicago has started distributing the Thor's Hammer vodka in the US for Blombergs Sdteri in the south of Sweden. Ed Gualtieri of Barton Brands liked the bold and short bottle and the fact that it is blended with water from an underground lake, that has its origins from the Great Ice Age. This means that the pH level is higher and leaves a very smooth taste compared to domestic vodkas that are made from distilled water that has undergone several cleaning processes.

"Thor's Hammer is the smoothest vodka in the world," says Gualtieri.

Another vodka on the way to North America may well be Elch Blut that is already a success in Germany. The Saturnus essence factory that started as a distillery in 1893, and that exports Swedish Glögg (mulled wine) to IKEA stores around the world, produces the "elk blood" from aquavit and lingonberries.

In Denmark the oldest known written evidence of aquavit stems from 1528, from a letter a nobleman called Knud Bille wrote in which he describes "a kind of water which is called Aqua Vitae and which can alleviate all ills a man's body can have".

The Nordic countries have produced vodka (which is Russian for unspiced aquavit) under the name of brennvin for hundreds of years. The spirit may originally have been introduced by German traders in the 15th century as an important ingredient in the manufacturing of dynamite, as a medication and as an exclusive drink. Aquavit was originally made from wine and therefore too expensive for all but the very richest in Scandinavia to enjoy. It was only when it was made from corn, and later wheat in the early 18th century, and then in turn rye, potatoes and finally cellulose, that it really took off as a drink. Everywhere people produced their own aquavit, sometimes rather starving than using their corn for anything else but aquavit. When the Swedish state in 1756 ordered all manufacturing equipment to be confiscated, no less than 180 000 illegal distilleries were rounded up.

The Swedish King Gustav III realized how profitable the manufacturing of aquavit could become and attempted to create a monopoly by abolishing all imports and any private manufacturing. This monopoly did not last long but, as all Swedes know, the dream to control the citizens' alcohol consumption stayed on.

Absolut Aquavit got its name from the king of aquavit, Brdnnvinskungen L.O. Smith, whom you can still see on the little medallion on the Absolut bottles. Smith had founded the large Reimersholms alcohol factory in Stockholm where he produced the first Swedish heat-purified Brdnnvin in 1877. It was called "Ten-fold rectified" or Absolut Rent Brännvin - absolutely pure Brännvin. Scandinavian Brännvin was often spiced to give it a more refined taste. Restaurants would generally have dispensers for three or more Brännvin tastes such as the popular caraway and pomerans tastes. Absolut has also introduced four variations (Citron, Kurant, Pepper and Mandrin) on its vodka, but you can also blend your own Brännvin just as Scandinavians have done for ages.

You can, for example, fill a jar with a tight lid upto 2/3 full with cherries. Pour vodka over this until the jar is full. If you would like to, add 2-3 teaspoons of honey. Let steep for at least two months, preferably half a year. Using a filter, strain the cherries and you have a vodka with a wonderful taste. The vodka only gets better with time.

In the olden days a schnapps was taken as a health remedy by spoon. Soon this beloved 2 centiliter remedy increased to 4 cl or 6 cl glasses. The best way to serve an icecold schnapps today is in a small, tapered long-stemmed glass so that the hand does not warm the aquavit.
Historically the, Nordic countries have been known for their over-consumption of the powerful drink. In medieval times there were bars wherever you went in the cities and in Denmark kros were opened through a royal decree every 40 kilometers of road.

Today the Nordic countries deal in different ways with the consumption of alcohol with Denmark having the most liberal laws, while Sweden is reluctantly liberalizing its laws .as a consequence of its membership in the EU, and Norway is holding on to tight restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

NORWAY

It may come as a surprise (unless you read the Scandinavian Press Company File Summer 00) to many that one of the five top cognacs in the world has been produced by the Larsen family in Cognac, France.

The national drink that otherwise comes to mind for Norwegians is their Linie Aquavit that is unique because it goes on a return trip to New Zealand on one of the Wilhelmsen ships before it is bottled and consumed. The smooth taste is attributed to the long sea journey in special containers and the gentle rolling the aquavit enjoys.

DENMARK

The recipe is a secret but that's no wonder considering that Gammel Dansk, the bitter sweet Danish aquavit "is good for you in the morning, after the end of the day, while hunting, on a fishing trip or as an aperitif." What is known however is that the recipe contains 29 different spices, herbs and flowers and that it was composed as late as in 1964. Today Gammel Dansk is not even Danish, as the Swedish V&S has bought the brand as it has the other Danish favourites Aalborg aquavit and Cherry Heering.

Aalborg Jubileum Akvavit was launched in 1946 to celebrate the 100 year jubilee of the original Aalborg Taffel Akvavit. Rich, mild, golden-coloured and flavoured with such herbs as dill and coriander, it is the most popular export brand of aquavit in the world today. In 1988 the Aalborg Extra Akvavit was launched as a luxury aquavit that gave exports a further boost.

The Heering Cherry liqueur is made of the small dark Stevns cherry which thrives on the long ripening period of Denmark's cool Nordic climate. The cherries are harvested in August and the fluid is crushed together with the stones, to give Reering its characteristic hint of almond. The pulp is then steeped in spirit and a secret combination of spices that has been in the Heering family since 1818 is added before it is poured into great casks to mature a minimum of three years.

Heering was used when the barman at the legendary Raffles Hotel created the Singapore Sling in 1915, but you can use the liqueur on its own or in other combinations.

Another popular Danish liqueur is the Kirseberry, also made from cherries. Just like Heering, Kirseberry does not contain any coloring or other additives.

FINLAND

Koskenkorva is a small town about an hour by jet from Helsinki. It is also Finland's most popular vodka, produced from barley ripened during the magical sunlit summer nights. There are seven connected stills soaring 50 feet into the air that also produce the premium Finlandia brand made only from six-row barley, (and Finlandia "21" from the exceptional estate "21') that is also used for producing the most distinguished single malt scotches and premium beers. It is the most expensive distilled grain but Finlandia's ambition has always been to produce the purest vodka without the slightest trace of anything else. The distillery process is quite simple. As alcohol boils at a lower temperature (173°F) than water does (212°F), the alcohol vapours rise before the water can boil. When these vapours are captured and cooled, they condense in the form of a spirit, alcohol much higher in proof than the original liquid. From a technological standpoint Finlandia is distilled more than 264 times and now even has a ISO 9001 quality certification showing to what lengths the brand has gone towards perfection. Right now a new bottle is being introduced to boost sales worldwide.

SWEDEN

One of the best ways to buy Swedish aquavit is to buy a Reimersholm Svenska Nubbar, available at a Swedish airport or a liquor store or on a non-European SAS flight. This sampler of ten different aquavits includes O.P. Andersson, Skåne and Herrgård aquavits that are also available in North America as are O.P. Flavoured and Thor's Hammer. And of course you almost can't avoid the Absolut vodka over here.

ICELAND

For a small nation with a population of less than half a million, it is remarkable that the local favorite Svarte Döden brennivin has survived over imports. Today "Black Death" even has a following around the world as more connoisseurs appreciate the subtle taste differences between the Nordic countries.

Scandinavian Press, Issue 4, 2000