Aquavit Spirits Produced in Michigan

Often paired with smoked fish and other Aquavit Spirits Produced in Michigancan be a refreshing drink on its own at room temperature or infused with citrus, dill, or root botanicals to add depth and flavor to cocktails. Unlike whisky and rum, aquavit has a more delicate, savory profile that makes it an ideal base spirit for cocktails. A few Michigan distillers are making aquavit with the goal of bringing this often overlooked spirit to American back bars.

Aquavit Spirits Produced in Michigan: A Craft Distillery Excellence

Crafted in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, this aquavit uses a 19th-century French recipe to create a spirit that is both sprightly and smooth. The Detroit-based producers at Two James pride themselves on a “farm-to-glass” philosophy, using local ingredients whenever possible. This particular akvavit is made with rye grown at Grand Traverse Distillery in Traverse City, and the 13 botanicals include fennel, anise, lemon peel, orange peel, caraway seed, nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel seed, orris, juniper berry, clary sage, and staghorn sumac.

Norden Aquavit is a terrific representation of Taffel Style aquavits and a great entryway to the category for people who might not have a lot of experience with it. The bold, almost gin-like blend of 10 botanicals (caraway, dill, clementine, angelica, orris, juniper, and staghorn sumac) make it equally as impressive sipped neat at room temp as in a cocktail.

This traditional Norwegian aquavit has the distinct honor of being the world’s first and only bottled sea-aged akvavit. It was crafted from a recipe that was originally developed by the Lysholm shipyard in 1805, and every bottle of Linie has a story behind it: the name, the year it left Norway, the date it crossed the equator, and details about the four-and-a-half month journey.