American Aquavit: Riffing on a Scandinavian Staple

There’s a spirit popping up more often lately on distillery tasting-room menus and in more cocktails at mixology-savvy bars. While it’s new to many Americans, it has a centuries-old history in Scandinavia. It’s most easily compared to gin, with its botanical and herbal bouquet—so it can simultaneously ride gin’s coattails toward wider popularity while offering curious drinkers something different and interesting.

We’re speaking, of course, of aquavit.

Aquavit is approaching at least five centuries of existence—the first record of it dates to 16th century Norway. In essence it’s a neutral base spirit that features some amount of caraway and dill plus other herbs and botanicals. However, this long-running Scandinavian staple flashes a few variations from country to country.