Akvavit

Akvavit is an important part of Nordic drinking culture, where it is often drunk during festive gatherings, such as Christmas dinners and the Midsummer celebration, and as an aperitif.

[4] In Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, aquavit is chilled and often drunk in a single gulp from a small shot glass.

[6] In Finland and Sweden, aquavit consumed from a shot glass is also commonly associated with crayfish parties, which are traditionally held during late August.

The Danish distillery Aalborg makes an akvavit distilled with amber, which imparts a pine-like citrusy note.

Dear lord, will your grace know that I send your grace some water with messenger Jon Teiste which is called Aqua vite and the same water helps for all his illness that a man can have internally.The earliest known reference to "aquavit" is found in a 1531 letter from the Lord of Bergenshus castle, (Norway) Eske Bille, to Olav Engelbrektsson, the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Norway.

The letter, dated April 13 and accompanying a package, offers the archbishop "some water which is called Aqua Vite and is a help for all sort of illness which a man can have both internally and externally".

[9] While this claim for the medicinal properties of the drink may be rather inflated, aquavit is popularly believed to ease the digestion of rich foods.

Whilst the Norwegian akevitt tends to have if not the most distinctive character, then at least the most overpowering flavour and deepest colour due to the aging process.

The constant movement, high humidity, and fluctuating temperature cause the spirit to extract more flavour and contribute to accelerated maturation.

[citation needed] Therefore, to this day, boats loaded with "Linie Aquavit" set sail from Norway to Australia and back again before they are bottled and sold as part of the Norwegian Christmas traditions, but also enjoyed all year round.

[citation needed] Psychopomp Microdistillery,[10] in Bristol, England, started producing an aquavit (termed 'Aqvavit' due to EU regulations) in 2017.

[13] Many distilleries in the United States produce aquavit, especially in parts of the country with high populations of people of Nordic heritage.

Examples include Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, Illinois, Oregon, New Hampshire, and Washington.