Homemade Aquavit
Nothing says Swedish holidays quite like aquavit! Midsommar is coming up, and I am making everything from scratch (as per usual)! Homemade aquavit is so easy; it takes less than 5 minutes to whip together but makes you look really impressive. Plus, it’s really tasty as you can tailor it to your own tastes and preferences.
What is Aquavit?
Aquavit is a liquor distilled from either potatoes or grain and then flavored with a variety of spices. The most common spice used is caraway. Fennel, dill, and anise are also very common. Other popular versions include elderflower, lemon, blackcurrant, and cardamom. Honestly, it’s hard for me to explain exactly where the line is between just a flavored liqueur/vodka and actual aquavit. But 9 times out of 10, it’s going to have caraway in it, or some similar spice/herb.
My Version
For my version, I looked at recipes for the most classic Swedish aquavits like O.P. Andersen and Skåne. Then I looked in my spice drawer and decided to just vibe. I wanted it to be pretty heavily spiced, so I added caraway, anise, whole fennel seed, and whole coriander seed. I added cardamom because nothing says Sweden like cardamom. I added bitter orange peel and lemon peel for freshness and sugar for, well, sweetness. And I used Absolut vodka because a Swedish drink (aquavit) for a Swedish holiday (Midsommar) called for a Swedish vodka (Absolut!).
How will you spice your homemade aquavit?
Homemade Aquavit
Ingredients
- ⅛ tsp anise
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- ¼ tsp whole fennel seed
- ¼ tsp whole coriander seed
- ¼ tsp caraway
- 1 small piece of bitter orange peel
- 2 pieces of lemon peel
- 1 tsp sugar
- 350 mL vodka
Instructions
- Pour all the spices, lemon peel, and sugar into a bottle—the cuter, the better.
- Pour in all the vodka, put the cap on, and give it a good shake.
- Let the vodka infuse for at least 24 hours, but a week would be better.
- Strain out all the spices and pour the liquid back into the bottle.
- Keep in the freezer; aquavit is best served ice cold!