Odin's Akvavit Recipe

Okay, here we go. For that truly unique Scandinavian experience. Making your own Akvavit ... 1. Ingredients:

• 1 liter of 60% well cut neutral
• 15 grams of caraway seeds (crushed)
• 5 grams of coriander seeds (crushed)
• 1 gram of dill
• 0.5 gram of cardamom
• water

2 a. Approach with herbs in the boiler:

• Add the herbs to the liter of 60%
• Allow it to macerate for 12 to 24 hours
• Add water to lower the ABV from 60% to 30%
• Put everything in your boiler
• Pot distill (you will probably collect 40% of total boiler contents)
• Dilute to 42% drinking strength
• Give the drink 5 weeks rest in a glass demijohn before you try it

2 b. Approach when you cannot distill with herbs in the boiler:

• Add the herbs to the liter of 60%
• Allow it to macerate for 14 days
• Filter the herbs out of the maceration
• Add water to lower the ABV from 60% to 30%
• Put the liquids in your boiler
• Pot distill (you will probably collect 40% of total boiler contents)
• Dilute to 42% drinking strength
• Give the drink 5 weeks rest in a glass demijohn before you try it

3. If you want to age your Akvavit "Norwegian Style", I would do it like this:

• Do not dilute your fresh Akvavit to 42%, but to 60%
• Add 3 grams of Sherry cask wood per liter
• Let it sit "on the wood" for five weeks
• Filter the wood out
• Dilute your Akvavit to 42% drinking strength
• And give the drink 5 weeks rest in a glass demijohn prior to consumption

This recipe is perfectly scalable. You want twice as much? Just do everything "times two". Ten times more? Multiply by 10. Good luck!

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