In the last blog post we covered the history leading up to distillation in Europe which began in earnest in the 14th century. In this post we’ll cover the emergence of aquavit (and genever and gin) as a categories. Aquavit came to be in the early/mid-1500s, born of the hodgepodge of local botanicals used to infuse early booze to cover its harsh taste. Like most spirit applications before, it was largely medicinal at first.
The first mention of aquavit (‘aqua vite’) was in 1532 in a letter from a Danish Lord to the Archbishop of Norway, called a drink that cures “all his illness that a man can have internally.” So it’s no surprise that aquavit literally means “water of life” in Latin. Likewise, the ingredients of aquavit were linked to good health. It was said during this time “the more ingredients, the more ailments cured” and it is true early aquavits could have hundreds of ingredients. Whereas todays mainline aquavits have only a few to a dozen or so.
By the 1600s social drinking had become the norm. In fact, this time period is often referred to as The Great Nordic Intoxication. Christian IV of Denmark and Norway (the two countries were combined at the time under the dominance of the Danish monarch) had to hold parliament at 7AM. Any later and the legislative members were liable to be too drunk to function.
Interestingly, aquavit pre-dates both of its close cousins: genever (Dutch and Belgian-origin juniper liquor distilled from malt wine) and gin (a British-origin juniper liquor distilled from neutral spirit). Genever was first written about by an Antwerp distiller in 1552 and gin didn’t exist until British soldiers returned home in the 1580s after fighting alongside the Dutch and Belgians during the Eighty Years’ War. They had grown accustomed to their allies’ genever and gin was their take on it.
Gin went on to become the most prominent botanical spirit, but not because it is better the others. It was mainly due to the success of the British empire; a combination of circumstances created by its global reach. For example, the scourge of malaria was a problem for the British military in many tropical colonial territories, particularly India. The preventative treatment was bitter quinine, often mixed with soda and sugar as a ‘tonic’ . It just so happens that the bitter/sweet tonic water was a perfect complement to an herbaceous botanical spirit (with, of course, a squeeze of lime) – and the British drank gin. Thus, the G&T was born.
However today niche spirits like aquavit, with less global yet every bit as historically relevant backstories, are ready for prime time. The next time you order a gin and [fill in the blank], or a classic gin cocktail, try swapping in aquavit for a new and tasty experience!
Haakon’s Hall in Bergenhus Fortress (Bergen, Norway) where Danish Lord Eske Bille ruled. His letter was the first recorded use of the term ‘aqua vite’.