A Look at North Shore Distilleries Aquavit
Posted in Recipes, Spirits on January 21st, 2010 by halw – Be the first to comment
Krypton's Red Sun. A combination of North Shore Aquavit,Cynar, Aperol, Black Pepper Syrup and Grapefruit Bitters.
We recently came across North Distillery’s Aquavit offering and decided to take a look at it along with a few sips. Aquavit generally has originated from Norway, Sweden and Denmark with its origins being traced all the way back the mid 1500’s. During this time it was looked initially as something to be used to cure ailments. Even the name itself, Aquavit originates from the Latin aqua vitae or “water of life”.
Over the next few centuries it transitioned from being used for medicinal purposes to becoming a favorite spirit for food pairings such as smoked fish, and meats and being enjoyed in times of celebration. The Scandinavian tradition of toasting otherwise known as skoal and welcoming guests to dinner has close ties to Aquavit .
One performs the tradition of skoal, with a shot of aquavit by looking the person you’re toasting in the eye and saying the word “skoal”. You then bow your head, and down the shot of aquavit. Before placing the empty glass down on the table, you look the person in the eye one final time. This allows one to pay respect to the person you’re toasting. After a few skoal’s, the night is bound to get interesting.
Aquavit, the spirit itself is made by macerating caraway, cardamom, fennel, dill and other herbs and botanicals in a neutral spirit, usually potato or grain based and then aging the spirit in oak barrels.
Out of Chicago, a distillery by the name of North Shore started bottling and distributing one of the first American examples of Aquavit.
To create their aquavit, North Shore Distillery starts with a neutral grain spirit and macerates it with botanicals such as caraway, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cubeb berry, orris root and anise seed. Once this maceration process has been completed, the spirit is then aged for approximately six months in oak barrels.
North Shore’s Aquavit offering starts off with very straightforward notes of caraway, that slowly lead into the presence of lemon, and complete with a finish brimming with coriander and nuances of black pepper.
After tasting this Aquavit offering I can definitely see the appeal and appreciate using this spirit for a toast.
That being said, it seems like it would work wonders in cocktails.
The Skoal Way of Life
1 ¾ oz North Shore Aquavit
¾ oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ Lemon Juice
Top with Ginger Beer
The Skoal Way of Life. North Shore Aquavit, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Cinnamon Syrup. Topped with Ginger Beer.
Krypton’s Red Sun
1 ¾ oz Aquavit
¾ Cynar
1 oz Aperol
½ oz Lemon
¾ oz Black Pepper Demera Syrup
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
