A hyggelig party is largely based around the provision of huge quantities of mouth-watering Danish food; however there is one other element which I have always found adds a certain indefinable element of joy to a social gathering, and that is the Danish tradition of aquavit. So what exactly is aquavit? Well, Danish “snaps” (or schnapps in German), is defined as any spirit infused with fruits, botanicals or other more bonkers flavourings (liquorice pipe snaps, anyone?) whereas in Denmark “aquavit” is predominantly flavoured with dill or caraway according to the flavour profiles favoured by each distillery.
The first references to aquavit date to around the 1500s, when herbs and spices were added to the raw alcohol to cover the rough taste; however I grew up drinking Aalborg aquavit, which has smooth aniseed-y overtones. No family party can go by without just a “lille en,” or “little one”… more than three and one will need to reserve a place on the sofa for the night. One of our favourite Danish traditions is to put a small (clean!) silver coin into a cup and then add strong black coffee until you can’t see the coin; now pour over enough aquavit so you can see the coin again, and enjoy!
Last week I had the absolute pleasure of a very hyggelig morning with Sasha, the owner of Vintersol Distillery. With a background in corporate intelligence analysis, he enjoyed tinkering with a small copper still to make his own snaps before subsequently turning it into a business; he now runs a distillery tucked away under railway arches in south London, with a pop up cocktail bar and corporate events in the beautiful showroom and courtyard. Having consumed many brands of snaps in my time I can confirm that his No1 aquavit is exceptional, with a beautiful blend of organic caraway, pink peppercorn, fennel, aniseed and orange peel (so much so it actually took my breath away, both literally and figuratively :)).
Sasha has very kindly written us a cocktail recipe using his No2 snaps, which has lovely elements of dill, lemon peel and coriander; perfect for your smorgasbord! And if you live anywhere near Putney, pop into his beautiful Nordic bar where you are guaranteed the most hyggelig of welcomes! Skål!
Far From The Tree
50ml No.2 Aquavit
50ml Apple Juice
25ml St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Juice of 1/4 lime
Shake over ice, strain into martini glass, garnish with apple fan. Simple; and apparently far too easy to drink!
