How do you serve aquavit?

A small glass is the right shape, because the Trimbos-instituut counts a standard glass of spirits as 35 millilitres, and that is also the measure for aquavit.

A small serving also keeps the drink cooler than a generously poured wide glass, which warms up faster in the hand.

For cask-matured aquavit you can choose a glass with a narrower rim. The aroma then lingers above the drink instead of dispersing immediately.

Vinmonopolet serves clear aquavit lightly chilled at 12 to 14 degrees and cask-matured, brown aquavit at room temperature.

The difference comes from maturation. Clear aquavit goes into the bottle without cask maturation, while cask-matured aquavit has taken up aromas from the wood that come out better at room temperature.

Vinmonopolet explicitly says lightly chilled, so 12 to 14 degrees. That is clearly warmer than a bottle straight from the freezer.

Allow 35 millilitres per glass, the measure the Trimbos-instituut uses for a standard glass of spirits.

In such a standard glass there is about 10 grams of pure alcohol. That calculation assumes 35 percent alcohol, and aquavit, at at least 37.5 percent, is just above that.

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Colour comes from cask ageing: aquavit that has lain on oak turns golden brown, while aquavit that is bottled directly stays clear.

For the protected name Norsk Akevitt, at least six months of maturation applies on casks smaller than 1,000 litres and at least twelve months on larger casks.

The Norwegian aquavit association writes that the casks used have mostly previously held oloroso sherry and are usually 500 litres in size. Vinmonopolet mentions vanilla and caramel notes that increase with longer cask maturation.

With food: the Danish national encyclopaedia Lex describes aquavit as a drink that is drunk chilled and together with beer at meals with salty food.

Vinmonopolet names herring, shellfish and smørrebrød as the dishes that go with it in Norway. So the little glass goes next to the plate and not before it.

A small glass after dinner is of course also fine. Then keep to the same measure: 35 millilitres according to the Trimbos Institute, and cask-aged aquavit at room temperature.