The “State” of Linie Aquavit

I am about to reach the brink of a bottle of aquavit and I cannot help but share a neophyte’s journey to the almost last sip of the said alcoholic liquid. This may not be new to Norwegians and most Scandinavians but the experience is definitely a first for me.

As I cleaned the clutter in my apartment some weekends ago, I was spiritually pulled towards my humble bar and checked the bottles of wine and liquor lined on the floor. I noticed a very interesting bottle with a name that reads LINIE AQUAVIT. As I continued reading the fine prints, it revealed the words DISTILLED AND BOTTLED IN NORWAY. Ah, this must be from the Viking! Vidar was very charitable to share a bottle of aquavit on my birthday last month. I’d like to try it as I was finishing with my weekend servitude but the concoction of herbs seemed very suspiciously dangerous (Yeah, I have trust issues since the “I was poisoned!” incident.) so I called my friend (yes, the same Viking who also happens to be very familiar with the poisoning incident) for some safety advise on how to drink such a persuasive mixture. Of course, the universal precaution “Drink moderately!” is always on top of my head. I was advised to take a shot over dinner or after anticipating a good relaxing time as a reward for my guts. As the next mealtime was a couple of hours away, I admitted defeat to the human in me over spirit (smiles!) and it was a surprise to be on familiar terms with the drink not chilled.

Well, to expand my knowledge on this very timely concern, I had to consult everyone’s source of information and (to others) frustration. Sure, I am just like you who wish I could have been one of the wiz kids who thought earlier in their lifetime to stay away from the notion that “high (and broke) is cool” and started the million-dollar-search-engine called google. Following a link to Brittanica, it reads:

Aquavit

- flavoured, distilled liquor, clear to pale yellow in colour, dry in flavour, and ranging in alcohol content from about 42 to 45 percent by volume. It is distilled from a fermented potato or grain

- the drink takes its name from the Latin “aqua vitae,” meaning “water of life.” It’s a potent drink with an alcohol content around 40 percent.

Method of production

- Swedish and Norwegian aquavits are sweet and spicy and of straw colour. Sweden is the largest producer, manufacturing about 20 brands. Norway’s production, comparatively low, includes Linie Aquavit, so called because it is shipped to Australia and back (across the Equator, or Line) in oak containers to produce mellow flavour. Finnish aquavit has a cinnamon flavour.

Also, clicking a link to an interesting excerpt from a certain Dave Fox’s article, he narrates:

“The concept of linie aquavit happened by accident in the 1800s. Jørgen Lysholm owned a distillery in Trondheim, Norway. His mother and uncle sent a batch of aquavit to Asia on a large sailing ship, hoping to market it there. It didn’t sell, however, and five barrels were shipped back to Trondheim. When the aquavit arrived back in Norway, Lysholm noticed it had a richer flavor. At that time, Norway was shipping dried cod around the world. Lysholm began loading barrels of aquavit onto freighters that carried the cod, and retrieving them at the end of a long round trip.

Most Norwegians store their aquavit in the freezer and drink it ice cold from stemmed cordial glasses. The stem on the glass prevents your hand from warming the liquor. Many people sip it with a pilsner beer chaser, which accentuates the caraway flavor. It’s consumed year-round, particularly on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, and Constitution Day.”

Now, can you tell what else is missing from all of this knowledge? If you’re with me on a Friday night drink, you’ll probably enjoy learning the right Norwegian accent. For this purpose, you might be interested to practice “stating” while fronting a mirror the couple of words below:

1. Linie - pronounced “LINN-yuh”
2. Aquavit - pronounced “AH-keh-veet” (and sometimes spelled “akvavit”)

Have a funtacular hangover!