Vikre x Sauna Water Cocktail Recipe: What the Fika?!

There is no one in the world more steeped in coffee than the fine folks of the Nordic countries. Indeed, they drink more coffee per capita than any other place in the world. Perhaps it’s the long, cold, dark winters. But then again, you’ll just as often find Nordic families on the beach in the summer with a thermos of hot coffee as you will find them toting coffee on their ski outings in the winter. 

And coffee is not just for the morning. Goodness no! Like hobbits with their meals, Nordic people find ways to squeeze moments for coffee between other moments for coffee. But, the most sacred moment for coffee is the sweet pause in the mid-afternoon, the time to slow down and savor the moment with a cup of coffee and a gently sweet bun of some sort. In Sweden the name for this coffee break is Fika. It’s a chance to recharge and it’s a social affair, a chance to connect with friends, much like happy hour can be.

This cocktail fuses those two beautiful social rituals – Fika and happy hour – into a rich and aromatic coffee-laced cocktail. I started from the idea of an aquavit espresso martini (if you want the best espresso martini EVER make it with Vikre aquavit instead of vodka, just saying…) but I couldn’t leave it there. The cold brew coffee made me think of how much I enjoy cold brew topped with tonic water, and of course, this made me wonder if cold brew topped with sauna water would be good. 

The Voyageur Aquavit, coffee, and Sauna Water made an intense and bracingly bitter combination that needed a little softening and balancing. Enter sweet vermouth, a kiss of apricot liqueur, and a touch of chocolate bitters. Each of these flavors complement and uplift the flavors in the coffee, giving it an additional richness and notes of red fruit that go wonderfully with the spice of aquavit and the pine of sauna water. So, even if you say, “what the fika?!” when you look at the ingredients list, once you’ve married them together you’ll find yourself settling in and relaxing, savoring the flavors and the beauty of the moment.