Next up in our series of fantastic sauna water cocktails, we have the sauna and swim.
At Vikre, one of the things that drives us most is a profound passion for flavor, and for the way enjoying truly amazing flavors pulls you into a sense of groundedness, presence, and enjoyment. Similar to how relaxing in a sauna can!
One of my favorite tricks for creating next-level flavors is to find unexpected combinations that create harmony through contrast.
Enter Nordic-tropical combos! At first glance, it sounds incongruous. I mean, can you think of anything less tropical than Scandinavia? But when you give the sweetness of fruits like pineapple, mango, or coconut a boost from some more stoic boreal flavors like caraway or spruce, you’ll discover they work together as beautifully as a balance of hot and cold.
This is precisely the approach I took to creating this cocktail. I started with one of my favorite cocktail ingredient duos – aquavit and pineapple. Our Øvrevann aquavit (btw, Øvrevann is Norwegian for Lake Superior) is our bartender go-to for starting any creative cocktail. And the aromatic coolness of the caraway in the aquavit buddies up with pineapple in the most perfect way. This combination serves as a nice sweet and juicy foundation to layer on the spice and evergreen notes of Sauna Water. Then I added a touch of lime cordial to bring the sweet-tart balance to perfection.
Whether you’re actually relaxing with a sauna and swim on a gorgeous summer day, or simply fantasizing about it, having this cocktail in hand will crown the experience like a garnish on a cocktail.
Skål!
sauna and swim recipe
1.5 oz. Vikre Øvrevann Aquavit
2 oz. pineapple juice
3/4 oz. lime cordial
2-3 oz. Sauna Water
A couple dashes of Angostura bitters
To prepare lime cordial, use 1/2 oz each simple syrup and lime juice.
Combine all ingredients in an ice filled glass and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Tasting Notes: tropical but balanced. The pineapple tastes like a vacation but the spice of the aquavit and the aromatics of the sauna water keep it from being too sweet or one note.
more about vikre's øvrevann aquavit
Light and aromatic, piquant and refreshing, our unaged aquavit is infused with caraway and cardamom, inspired by the flavors of sweet rye bread, and named for our illustrious Lake Superior.
Aquavit is the original Scandinavian distilled spirit and the foundation for excellent Nordic-leaning cocktails — but can also help you weather the squalls like a Viking. Skål!
Learn more about Sauna Water
A collaboration between Cedar and Stone Nordic Sauna and Portage Brewing.
Bringing you the first of its kind, a sparkling botanical water designed to celebrate sauna culture in all forms. The ingredients used in this rehydrating beverage were inspired by our experiences in Northern Minnesota’s winter cold and the countless hours of time spent inside saunas that always followed. Aromatics of fresh spruce and awakening spices, with a thirst quenching acidity of citrus fruits to keep everything in balance.
