Venus No. 1 Aquavit

I've read about Aquavit a number of times but never pulled the trigger on purchasing it. I'm glad I did! This expression reminds me of a mix between an herbal gin and absinthe. I tried it in the Norwegian Wood cocktail by Jeffrey Morgenthaler and it was excellent, highly recommend!

I love this Aquavit. It reminds me of my Dad. It was a tradition in our family to do a shot of Aquavit together at every holiday!

I first had this at a Swedish kräftskiva. It's lovely chilled. It also makes a great variation on a gin tonic. Very herbal, but it doesn't have the overpowering anise flavor that some find distasteful.

I worked at the Good Food Awards and I was on my break wandering around enjoying all the amazing set ups until I ran into Venus Spirits. Lo and behold this company is locally run in Santa Cruz, California! #Represent I have always been a vodka gal but that day I was feeling daring. The charismatic folks at Venus Spirits were absolutely amazing at explaining the distillery process and the elements placed in each spirit. I tried the gin, the whiskey, and man the moment my tongue tasted the Aquavit....I fell in love. I learned that Aquavit is the Scandinavian version of flavored vodka or a Nordic version of gin so maybe that's why I loved it. Anyway I bought the bottle right on the spot! The taste notes are phenomenal (Nose: citrus & caraway Palate: sweet & smooth Finish: star anise) Next thing you know I was reading all about the "water of life" from the Latin phrase aqua vitae. Apparently the earliest reference to this spirit takes place in a letter from a Danish Lord to the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Norway in 1531. In this letter, the Danish Lord is literally advising the Archbishop (who is sick) to drink Aquavit. "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 and externally." Like whoa! I want that water to be healed internally and externally :D