Aquavit: Get Caraway’d By a Spirit with Nordic Roots

While it’s not as well-known as gin—another white spirit flavored with botanicals—aquavit is a spirit with a long history, adding subtle hints of caraway to drinks, or served as a sipper alongside Scandinavian food.

What Is Aquavit?

Aquavit is a distilled spirit flavored with caraway and/or dill, as well as other botanicals.

Beyond the signature flavorings, the spirit can vary widely: some are macerated with citrus peels or spices like anise, cumin, coriander, fennel seed or juniper. It’s bottled in both unaged and barrel-aged expressions.

Aquavit made in the E.U. is required to be bottled at a minimum 37.5% alcohol by volume (75 proof), although counterparts made in the U.S. are often stronger.

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The History of Aquavit

The spirit is rooted in Scandinavia, where it developed as an allegedly medicinal infusion of spices into alcohol.

Like whiskey and eau-de-vie, the name derives from aqua vitae, Latin for “water of life.”

According to The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, one of the earliest written references to the spirit dates to 1531, in a letter to the archbishop of Trondheim in Norway from a Danish officer of the crown, “who sent a sample of aquavit with a promise of its remarkable healing qualities.”

Sweden, Norway and Denmark are significant producers of aquavit, but Iceland and Germany have traditions making the spirit as well.

While the spirit traditionally is made in Scandinavian countries, a number of American craft distillers — especially those in areas with strong Scandinavian populations — make versions of the spirit too.

Compared to the European Union, where regulations require only that aquavit be flavored with caraway or dill, American regulations are more restrictive, specifying only the use of caraway.

What Does Aquavit Taste Like?

In general, aquavit is crisp and relatively neutral, with herbs and spices adding subtle flavor. Caraway—the same seed used to flavor some rye breads—is often the most distinctive note found in aquavit, while dill is the prominent flavor in dill aquavits.

That said, the character of aquavit can vary from mild and sweet to assertive and astringent. Some are more citrusy, while others have more pronounced spice tones, and barrel-aging can add nuanced hints of vanilla or almond.

Of note, Christmas aquavits are often bolder and more complex, flavored with seasonal fruit or spiced like holiday cookies.

How to Select a Bottle of Aquavit

According to the pros, some of the same guidelines you might use to select a vodka or gin can be applied to selecting aquavit: it should be smooth and balanced, with a flavor profile that appeals to your taste.

At Aquavit, the two star Michelin restaurant in NYC, the Scandinavian spirit figures prominently on the drink menu.

“We carry a larger selection than most, but that does not mean we buy anything with the word Aquavit on the label,” says beverage director Erik Westman. “Despite its alcohol content, aquavit should still be smooth with a clean finish and show the purity of the botanicals used without feeling artificial.”

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Keeping in mind how widely the spirit can vary, the restaurant staff usually asks guests about preferences—“More or less caraway? Dill? Citrus? Barrel aged or not?”—to help guide toward a pour.

Another consideration: “A good aquavit is about balance,” says Alex Tangen, a Norwegian native and founder of Nordic-influenced cocktail bar Kabin in NYC, where a Nordic Martini made with Svol aquavit is a strong seller.

Guests adore “that freshness from herbs and spices like caraway, dill and fennel, and that slightly peppery, warming sensation,” she says. The spirit “should be crafted with care, allowing all those flavors to come together.”

However, if aquavit reads as “overly harsh or medicinal,” avoid it, Tangen advises. “It should never be too overpowering or leave a burning aftertaste; it should invite you to take another sip, not make you wish you hadn’t. If an aquavit lacks the warmth and smoothness that’s key to the experience, it’s just not doing justice to the spirit.”

How to Serve Aquavit

In Scandinavian countries, aquavit is often served in small glasses, chilled or at room temperature, and often to accompany food.

“Beyond the taste, a big part of what makes an aquavit great is how it’s served,” Tangen says. “I love sipping it slowly from a small, pretty glass.”

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Due to its strength, many prefer to enjoy aquavit mixed into cocktails, Westman says.

“Aquavit and Tonic is a popular choice that lets the spirit come through,” he says, noting aquavit’s similarity to gin. “Right now, our Scandi Sour, which uses both gin and aquavit along with lingonberry cordial and lemon juice, is very popular, with the aquavit providing a nice herbal flavor. The possibilities are really endless.”

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