Welcome to Seattle Aquavit Week
Seattle Aquavit Week is a celebration of traditional Scandinavian spirit. With almost 30 different domestic Aquavits in production in the United States, this versatile liquor is one of the fastest growing distillery categories in the country, yet often misunderstood and difficult to find.
Join us for All Things Aquavit in Seattle from December 6-12, 2015. Bars and cocktails, education and events, food and specials all provide a wide range of activities and experiences for experienced enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike.
Participating Locations
Enjoy Aquavit in Drinks
- Ändra Loft Bar, Downtown
- Bar Melusine, Capitol Hill
- The Whale Wins, Fremont
- The Teacher’s Lounge, Greenwood
- Herb and Bitter, Capitol Hill
- Hattie's Hat, Ballard
- The Sexton, Ballard
- Local 360, Belltown
- The Carlile Room, Downtown
- The Mollusk, South Lake Union
- Rock Creek, Fremont
- The Tin Table, Capitol Hill
Experience Aquavit through Food
- Full Tilt, Aquavit Ice Cream: Orange aquavit, cranberry jam swirl, toasted caraway seeds.
- Bravehorse Tavern, Caraway smoked and aquavit braised short rib, griddled old school grit cakes, chelan honeycrisps, pomegranate.
- The Carlile Room, Yellowtail cured in old ballard aqauavit lees, toasted coriander cream mille-feuille, salmon roe, lightly pickled cucumber.
Brands
All of the following brands are available in Washington State. Inquire about orders at your local liquor store or with your rep.
Dry Aquavits
Taffel #3
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Balanced, strong flavor, primarily caraway.
Caraway, Anise, Orange
Nymodig Licorice
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Balanced, strong flavor.
Primarily caraway with slight hint of licorice Caraway, Anise, Fennel
Skaði
Montgomery Distillery, Montana
Mid strength flavor, very dry, no single dominant spice – well balanced.
Caraway, Bog Myrtle, Lemon Peel
Sweet Aquavits
Cardamom Aquavit
Hardware Distillery, Hoodsport
Strong, slightly peppery flavor, cardamom forward.
Caraway, Cardamom
Aquavit
Hardware Distillery, Hoodsport
Aromatic, sweet baking spices, primarily nutmeg and coriander
Star Anise, Coriander, Caraway, Cloves, fresh Orange Peel
Aquavit
Schnapsleiche Spirits, Woodinville
Balanced and sweet, fennel forward.
Caraway, Dill, Fennel
Krogstad Festlig
House Spirits, Oregon
Strong flavor and aroma, primarily anise.
Caraway, Anise, Fennel
Rich Aquavits
Riktig Aquavit
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Strong rye bread flavor.
Caraway, Mustard, Alder wood, 40% abv
Ragnarok Cask Strength
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Very strong rye bread and mustard flavor. Slightly hazy.
Caraway, Mustard, Alder wood, 60% abv
Krogstad Gamle
House Spirits, Oregon
Complex, sweet rye bread and licorice.
Caraway, Anise, Fennel, Oak Cask
Herbal Aquavits
Midsommar Dill
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Soft, aromatic, fresh dill and dry pickle.
Caraway, Dill, Lemon, Vanilla Bean, Dill Pollen
Dill Aquavit
Hardware Distillery, Hoodsport
Woodsy, caraway forward with a hint of dill seed.
Caraway, Dill Seed, Dill Pollen
Älskar Citron
Old Ballard Liquor Co, Seattle
Lemon and spice aquavit, citrus forward, dry caraway finish.
Caraway, Lemon Peel, Grains of Paradise
Coming Soon
Aquavit
Blue Water Organics, Everett
Events
Sunday December 6: Aquavit Week Kickoff Party
Location: The Teacher’s Lounge, Greenwood
6pm – 10pm
Perryn and Desiree Wright may be more familiar to the public from their involvement with the now-defunct Scandinavian Aquavit bar, the Copper Gate, where they were responsible for introducing an entire generation of Seattle drinkers to Aquavit. Join these "professional enthusiasts" for an evening of Aquavit education, Nordic inspired small bites, and cocktails at their newest venture, the Teacher’s Lounge in Greenwood. Meet the distillers and have a drink with Seattle's original Aquavit experts.
Tuesday December 8: Happy Hour at the Mollusk
Location: The Mollusk, South Lake Union
4:30pm – 9pm
Join Cody Morris and Travis Kukull for an evening of aquavit cocktails and food pairings featuring aquavit and distilled honey wine from Hardware Distillery in Hoodsport. Better known for creating food paring beers, the duo will be offering up select aquavit and appetizer pairings in their hip new SLU location.
Wednesday December 9: Aquavit: Meet the Experts
Location: The Carlile Room, Downtown
7pm – 9pm
Interested in aquavit? Curious about what it is, or how it's made? Come to Tom Douglas' Carlile Room for an informal meet and greet with local area craft Aquavit distillers from the Old Ballard Liquor Co, Sound Spirits, Hardware Distillery and more! Sip on delicious aquavit cocktails and learn everything you never knew you wanted to know about this esoteric Scandinavian spirit.
Thursday December 10: Members Preview Night, ""Skål! Scandinavian Spirits" "
Location: The Nordic Heritage Museum, Ballard
6pm – 8pm, Museum Members Only
If you're not a member of the Nordic Heritage Museum, you'll be left out of their Members Preview night of their newest exhibit, "Skål! Scandinavian Spirits". Presented by Linie and Aalborg aquavits and created by the Museum of Danish America, this exhibition explores the culinary history of beer and aquavit, follows those drinking traditions to Scandinavian-American communities and answers questions like, "What IS aquavit, anyway?" and "How do you Skål correctly?" Fun, informative, and engaging, Seattle is the second stop for this nationally travelling museum exhibition. The evening will kick off with an introduction by Tova Brandt, Albert Ravenholt Curator of Danish-American Culture. Later in the evening, join Christer Olsen of Arcus for a presentation about Linie and Aalborg aquavits.
Saturday December 12: Aquavit Week Wrapup Party
Location: Herb and Bitter, Capitol Hill
8pm – Close
Herb and Bitter has been on the cutting edge of herbal cocktail development in Seattle, and this evening is no exception. Join the crew at their Capitol Hill location in Seattle for a night of botanical exploration and close out the week with a bang!
About Aquavit
Aquavit is a savory botanical digestif native to Scandinavia. It is produced with techniques similar to those used in gin production but instead of juniper, the primary spice in Aquavit is caraway - a flavor most commonly associated with rye bread.
In Scandinavia, aquavit is typically served and paired with food, much in the same way as wine. It is not unusual to find a trained sommalier presenting a different bottle of aquavit carefully paired with each course of a meal in an Oslo or Stockholm restaurant. Additionally, "Snapas" - artfully presented small bites paired carefully with tiny shots of Aquavit - is gaining popularity in sophisticated Nordic restaurant communities.
Hundreds of different Aquavits are produced in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, each with their own set of flavors and production secrets but only one or two are imported to the United States, keeping many Americans from ever experiencing this amazing and versatile spirit. Domestic distillers have worked quickly since around 2008 to produce a wide variety of flavors, colors, and styles for the American market. However, Aquavit is still often misunderstood and distribution is usually limited to the immediate area around a distillery that produces it. Washington State is fortunate to have almost 20 different aquavits available to restaurants and consumers.
Contact
Whether you’re a restaurant interested in participating, or just someone with a question, you can email us here.
Check out our Facebook Page for more information and event photos
Or check out other Aquavit Week cities below:
Portland, OR