Licorice vodka? Absolutely!
Swedish ingenuity pairs libations with dishwashers
By Brett Leigh Dicks 05/31/2007
Sweden seems to possess an inherent affinity for the practical. This is of course the county that has given the world the Volvo automobile and has mass marketed modular furniture. But it seems that the Swedish sense for practicality also reaches far beyond commodities and has even infiltrated their tonics.
Take their hard liquor, for example; what better way is there to flavor some vodka than in your dishwasher? So, when a Swedish friend recently enlightened me into this practice, I had to investigate for myself.
Distilled spirits have long been embraced in the Northern Hemisphere as a valuable crutch for those cold, dark winters that never seem to end. Ever since Lars Olsson Smith first introduced fractional distillation and decided to challenge the Swedish government’s alcohol monopoly at the end of the 19th century by selling his higher quality Absolut Renat Brännvin at a lower price, the Swedes have embraced his vodka. So much so that, since he had to set up shop outside of the city limits, his customers traveled miles to enjoy his product.
In the early ‘80s Absolut took on the world. Bottled in stylish replicas of vintage medicine bottles, Absolut threw forth a selection of flavors including the enticingly original chili pepper and vanilla.
It seems this wasn’t sufficient for the innovative Swedes. For as well as embracing the official flavors that Absolut produces, they typically try their hand at creating their own. And this is apparently where a dishwasher comes in handy.
One of the nation’s favorite alternate flavors is licorice. And the licorice of choice is a Finish product called “Turkisk Peber.” It is a salty candied licorice that is coated in sugar powder and laced with a fiery liquid center. Even if you aren’t going to throw a handful into a bottle of vodka, this licorice is a divine revelation in itself. But my packet was destined to be mixed into a drink – the concoction of which is all too simple.
The starting point is a bottle of plain vodka – of Swedish origin of course – with enough of its content being consumed to afford room for the addition of an entire packet of candy. Pellets of crushed licorice are systematically added and the cap then returned to the bottle. The bottle is then placed in the dishwasher and put through a wash cycle. Time and temperature are important only as far as all the candy needs to be dissolved. A standard wash cycle was sufficient for my undertaking. The contents are then allowed to cool sufficiently for consumption.
The licorice essence totally overwhelms the vodka making for a smooth, even sweet, distillate. Which actually creates a potent and dangerous combination as the alcohol exerts little or no authority, making for a concoction that is far too easy to drink. There are various regional variations of the drink, some of which forego the employment of a dishwasher in favor of allowing the mixture to stand for several days to allow the licorice time to infuse through the vodka. But I personally favor the Swedish approach because the practicality of the dishwasher appeals to me. And we all need to clean up our act a little when it comes to spirits.
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