BREWING: How to Infuse your own Aquavit
- What is aquavit?
- How to drink your homemade aquavit
- What kind of alcohol should I use?
- How to make homemade aquavit
- Oak-aging your homemade aquavit
- Alewyfe Aquavit (aka, “Lie-nie”)
- Related Recipes for a Handcrafted Bar
What is aquavit?
Aquavit is a bracing alcoholic beverage, infused with Scandinavian flavors of caraway, dill, and spice. It’s a clear spirit and both warming and refreshing. Some versions are oak-aged in barrels for a more complex and mellow flavor. There are many variations on the basic recipe, but this is combination of flavors is our favorite.
And now, you can make your own at home, with these step-by-step instructions and recipe for homemade aquavit. It’s a simple infusion recipe, no still (or permits) needed, and it tastes great!
How to drink your homemade aquavit
You can serve your aquavit in a lot of different ways. Straight up is fantastic, served either as chilled or frozen shots in small glasses, or served over ice, and very traditional. Stash a bottle in your freezer to be ready to toast unexpected guests!
But it also makes interesting cocktails and tall drinks. Try it instead of vodka in a Viking Bloody Mary, or in mixed drinks. I like to add a bit of lingonberry or rhubarb syrup to a shot of aquavit on ice and top up with soda water and a lemon slice for a refreshing summer cooler.
What kind of alcohol should I use?
Use a decent quality vodka in your homemade aquavit, but not the most expensive. But save the dusty old bottle of Popov for cleaning windows, although you don’t need to go high-end here for this either… or frankly, ever, unless you enjoy lighting money on fire! Save the premium labels for the brown liquor and gin to stock the bar, ok? I usually use Kirkland vodka from Costco, which has a neutral flavor and is quite affordable.
How to make homemade aquavit
- Add all the ingredients (adjust proportions and ingredients to your preference) to the bottle (a small funnel is very helpful here). You may need to remove an oz or so depending on how much headspace there is in the bottle.
- You can also use a large, wide mouth glass mason or Kilner-jar, which is what I prefer (getting the spent herbs and spices out of the narrow-mouthed alcohol bottle for recycling is quite difficult). A half-gallon jar will do nicely.
- Put the bottle in a cool, dark place and shake or invert it gently once a day or so. Taste after a few days and let steep until you are satisfied with it (up to a few weeks).
- Strain the infused aquavit through a filter funnel (line with a coffee filter for better clarity) and bottle either in the original bottle or smaller gift bottles. Enjoy!
Oak-aging your homemade aquavit
If you want to make the oak-aged version, you’ll need a little more time, and brewing-grade oak chips or preferably cubes. You can pick those up at any homebrewing or winemaking shop, or order them online, and I’d recommend a light toasted oak so you don’t overpower the other flavors with too many caramel notes and to complement this herbaceous spirit.
A little goes a long way with the oak… I’d start with a cube or three per bottle and give it some time. You can always add more oak, but you can’t take it out if you’ve overdone it! You can blend and dilute a batch that is over-oaked to salvage it, so don’t toss it out. I like to add an oak cube back to the bottle after straining out the botanicals, and let it age on the shelf (plus it looks neat). This won’t work with chips, unless you want to pour your aquavit through a tea-strainer.
Bonus step for extra authenticity: Find a friend with a boat and convince them to stow your oaked bottle of homemade aquavit below deck for a year while they circumnavigate the globe. Then convince them to give you the bottle back. Or better yet, to take you with them and your bottle and then enjoy it together at the end of the journey (and then introduce us to your friend?). Either way, good luck!
Skål!
Alewyfe Aquavit (aka, “Lie-nie”)
Ingredients
- 1.75 L vodka (I use Kirkland's)
- 2 tbsp whole Indian coriander seed lightly toasted
- 5 tsp caraway seed
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 small lemon, zest only, or 2 dried lemon slices
- fresh dill sprigs small bundle (about ¼" x 6")
- 1 split black cardamom pod (optional)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients (adjust proportions and ingredients to your preference) to the bottle (a small funnel is very helpful here). You may need to remove an oz or so depending on how much headspace there is in the bottle.
- Put the bottle in a cool, dark place and shake it once a day or so. Taste after a few days and let steep until you are satisfied with it (up to a few weeks).
- Strain through a filter funnel (line with a coffee filter for better clarity) and bottle either in the original bottle or smaller gift bottles. Enjoy!
Oak-Aged Variation ("Lie-nie")
- After straining, add a bit of medium toasted oak chips (go easy on the oak, start with maybe half an ounce at first, as it's easy to overdo oak- you can always add more!) or a couple ¾" cubes of oak. You can find these in winemaking and homebrew shops or online, don't just add sawdust from your shop, unless your shop is a cooperage, ok?
- Sample periodically and strain again when you've reached the desired amount of oak character. Bonus step for extra authenticity: Find a friend with a boat and convince them to stow your oaked bottle below deck for a year while they circumnavigate the globe. Then convince them to give you the bottle back. Good luck!
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