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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