How to pour it
an aquavit in
Put the bottle in the freezer for at least four hours. At around 40 percent ABV, the drink does not freeze; it does become viscous, so it pours slowly and thickly from the neck. This makes the herbs come through more subtly, and the alcohol stings less in the nose.
Chill the glasses too, in the freezer or refrigerator. A small 5- or 6-cl glass is enough, since the serving is small. Don’t take the bottle off the table until the food is served; once out of the freezer, the drink quickly warms up and the alcohol becomes more pronounced.
Pour approximately 3 cl per glass, not all the way to the rim. It’s better to top up with a small amount more often than to fill the glass all at once: this keeps what’s in the bottle cold and prevents what’s in the glass from becoming lukewarm. Put the bottle back in the freezer or in a bucket of ice in between pours.
Skål is the customary ritual. You raise your glass, look the other person in the eye, say skål, take a sip, and make eye contact again before putting the glass down. At a set table, this often happens with the entire party at once, and in Sweden it is also customary to sing during Christmas dinner.
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The story
Aquavit gets its name from aqua vitae, Latin for water of life, the old name for distilled spirits. The base is neutral: grain or potato, distilled into an almost flavorless spirit. The herbs are then added, and that is where the drink gets its character. Under the rules for the name, the flavor must be dominated by caraway, dill, or both; anise, fennel, coriander, and citrus peel are often used in supporting roles. The drink is Scandinavian in the broad sense: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have each developed their own traditions around it, ranging from colorless and spicy to barrel-aged golden brown.
The right glass
Aquavit goes ice-cold into a small glass, and small really does mean small here: 3 cl in a 5 or 6 cl glass, so the serving is finished before it warms up. A straight-sided shot glass with a heavy base works well, such as those found among the shot glasses. A small stemmed glass is the alternative: your hand does not touch the contents, which makes a difference with a drink from the freezer. Those can be found among the liqueur glasses. There is no glass specifically named an aquavit glass in this selection.
Royal Leerdam Gilde shot glass 6 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Opera liqueur glass 6 cl on stem (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 52,90.
The right tools
For a glass of aquavit, all you need besides the glass is the freezer: chill the bottle, put the glasses in too, and nothing else is needed. The bar tools below only come into play when aquavit goes into a cocktail, where its spicy character makes it a good fit: a jigger for measuring and a bar spoon for stirring it cold. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 43,85.
What does this go with?
Aquavit does not yet have its own page in our drinks list; the brand page Linie Aquavit does. These are the pages that are most closely related in terms of content: spicy and clear distilled drinks that, like aquavit, are served chilled and in a small glass. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The three countries approach it differently. Danish aquavit is usually colourless and strongly caraway-flavoured, and is often bottled without cask ageing. Norwegian akevitt is often potato-based and aged in oak casks, giving it a golden-brown colour and a rounder flavour. Swedish aquavit falls somewhere in between and generally uses a broader range of herbs, including fennel and anise; it is found both clear and lightly aged. The label tells you which direction a bottle takes. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
The classic pairing is herring: pickled herring, herring in mustard sauce, and, along the same lines, gravlax, smoked salmon and rye bread. At Christmas dinner in Scandinavia, the bottle sits alongside the rich and salty dishes, countered by the spicy, ice-cold sip. Pour small measures, and put the bottle back in the freezer between rounds.
Good to know
Where the name comes from
Aquavit comes from aqua vitae, Latin for water of life. For centuries, this was the common name for distilled spirits throughout Europe, and you can hear it echoed in the French eau de vie and the Scandinavian akvavit or akevitt. The spelling varies by country: akvavit in Denmark and Sweden, akevitt in Norway, aquavit in English and Dutch.
Caraway or dill must take centre stage
That is not a matter of style but a requirement for being allowed to use the name: the dominant flavour must come from caraway, dill or a combination of the two. Caraway gives the familiar bready, slightly anise-like note, while dill adds a grassier, fresher accent. Other herbs may also be used, such as fennel, anise, coriander, cardamom or citrus peel, but they must remain secondary.
The Danish, Norwegian and Swedish styles
Danish aquavit is usually clear and strongly caraway-flavoured, with no or very little cask ageing. Norwegian akevitt is often made from potatoes and aged in oak, giving it colour and a rounder, softer flavour. Swedish aquavit generally uses a broader range of herbs, including fennel and anise, and is found both clear and lightly aged. These are traditions, not strict boundaries.
Linie aquavit, the cask that travels
Linie is the Norwegian variant in which the barrels travel aboard a ship and cross the equator, the line, twice before the drink is bottled. Along the way, the barrel rocks continuously and the temperature changes significantly, causing the drink to have different and more intense contact with the wood than it would in a stationary warehouse. The label states which journey the bottle has made.
How much alcohol it contains
Most bottles are around 40 percent ABV, sometimes slightly below or above. That puts aquavit in the same range as genever, vodka, and gin, and well above wine. The fact that it comes out of the freezer ice-cold and syrupy does not make it weaker: the percentage is stated on the label.
Why it does not freeze in the freezer
Alcohol freezes at a much lower temperature than water. At around 40 percent ABV, the drink remains liquid in a regular home freezer; it does become noticeably syrupy and pours slowly. That is exactly the effect you want, because the cold softens the harshness of the alcohol and lets the caraway come through more gently.
Frequently asked questions
What is aquavit?
A Scandinavian herbal spirit distilled from grain or potato and flavored with herbs, with caraway, dill, or both required to predominate. The name comes from aqua vitae, water of life. Most bottles are around 40 percent ABV. You may also see it called akvavit or akevitt.
How do you drink aquavit?
Ice-cold from the freezer, about 3 cl in a small 5- or 6-cl glass, with a meal. At around 40 percent ABV, it does not freeze but becomes syrupy. When making a toast, say skål: look each other in the eye, say skål, take a sip, and look at each other again before setting down the glass.
What is the difference between Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish aquavit?
Danish aquavit is usually clear and strongly flavored with caraway, with little or no barrel aging. Norwegian akevitt is often potato-based and aged in oak, making it golden-brown and rounder. Swedish aquavit generally uses more herbs, including fennel and anise, and is found both clear and lightly aged.
What is Linie aquavit?
Norwegian aquavit whose barrels travel aboard a ship and cross the equator twice before the drink is bottled. The constant movement and significant temperature changes along the way alter the contact between the drink and the wood, and you can taste that. The label states which journey the bottle has made.
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