What alcohol do Swedes drink?

The main Swedish specialty is brännvin (literally "burn-wine"), liquor distilled from fermented grain or potatoes. Vodka is the highest grade of brännvin, with brands like Absolut Vodka and Explorer Vodka. Brännvin seasoned with herbs is known as akvavit.

What is the most popular alcohol in Sweden?

Most of the sales were made in Systembolaget stores - in the first quarter of 2020, beer was the most sold alcoholic drink, reaching a volume of roughly 55 million liters. Wine followed, ahead of spirits. Cider and alcopops were the category with the least sales in the stores of the Swedish beverage retailer.

What is the main drink of Sweden?

Aquavit Is the National Spirit of Scandinavia

Heading to Sweden, Norway or Denmark? It won't be long before you're presented with a glass of aquavit. Caraway has long been a common flavor in the region and was once considered a cure for indigestion.

What are popular drinks in Sweden?

What kind of alcohol do Scandinavians drink?

Akvavit or aquavit (/ˈɑːkwəviːt, -və-/; also akevitt in Norwegian; aquavit in English) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. Akvavit is distilled from grain or potatoes, and is flavoured with a variety of herbs.

The Drinking Culture In Sweden Is Very Different

Is there Swedish wine?

Swedish wine, in terms of wine produced commercially from grapes grown in Sweden, is a very marginal but growing industry which saw its first beginnings in the late 1990s.

What is a traditional Scandinavian drink?

Aquavit is by definition a very Scandinavian drink. It is a spirit spiced with caraway and a variety of different botanicals. The Swedes, Danes and Norwegians have their own character of aquavits. Skåne aquavit is a very traditional Swedish aquavit which has a slightly milder taste than O.P. Anderson.

Do Swedes drink a lot of alcohol?

With over 42 percent of all alcohol sales in Sweden, the typical Swedish drink recreational of today is a glass of wine. "And a big portion of it is bag-in-box wine", explains Eva Lenneman, curator at Spritmusuem in Stockholm. "Swedes are in fact the biggest BiB-drinkers in the world".

Is Sweden strict on alcohol?

Sweden is very strict when it comes to access of alcohol. One has to be age 18 to be allowed to drink any alcohol. To buy beer or wine in a restaurant, pub or night club in Sweden one has to be 18, too; same if you want buy low percentage beer/cider (<3.5%) in supermarkets.

What is drinking age in Sweden?

The store has a monopoly on retail sales of alcohol: it's the only place you can buy wine and spirits and beer with an alcohol content above 3.5%. You have to be 20 years or older to buy in stores, though in Swedish bars and restaurants the drinking age is 18. Most towns have one Systembolaget.

What is the best Swedish Whisky?

Mackmyra whisky is a Swedish whisky brand that has proven particularly popular. It was the country's first whisky brand, and has gone on to win numerous awards, including being awarded Gold Outstanding in the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2013.

What type of alcohol is aquavit?

Aquavit is a Scandinavian spirit distilled from potatoes or grains that's flavored with caraway and other aromatics like citrus peel and whole spices. Also known as aquavite, akvavit, akevitt, or snapps, it's the national spirit of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and can range in color and flavor depending on the maker.

Is aquavit similar to gin?

Much like gin, aquavit is defined in United States regulations by its primary botanical. While gin's star is juniper, with aquavit, it's caraway. Aquavit, a neutral spirit usually distilled from grain and flavored with botanicals, has been produced in Scandinavia for centuries.

Is Absolut Swedish?

Absolut is quintessentially Swedish vodka. It is manufactured in the southern Swedish region of 'Scania' (Skåne in Swedish), and more specifically, in the small towns of Nöbbelöv and Åhus. What's more, Absolut is also made exclusively with grain from southern Sweden.

What is Swedish beer?

Gotlandsdricka is the only traditional homebrewed beer to survive the emergence of industrial brewing in Sweden. It is still made largely the same way as it was in centuries past. Its origins are on the island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea east of the Swedish mainland, where it is also known just as dricke (drink).

Why are there no pubs in Sweden?

Partly, it's the deadening hand of regulation, partly it's puritanism, but mostly, according to the historians The Local has spoken to, Sweden's lacklustre country pub life comes down to geography and economics. Most of Sweden has simply been too sparsely populated and too poor to support thriving hostelries.

Which Nordic country drinks the most alcohol?

Since the 1960s, Denmark has had the highest recorded consumption of alcohol of the four Nordic countries; in 2018 recorded consumption amounted to 9.1 litres of pure alcohol per capita among those aged 15 years and older.

What country drinks the most alcohol?

How do you drink like a Swede?

“It's a wine-type drink with lots of spices, like cinnamon, that you drink warm, particularly when it's cold out. The alcohol and the temperature itself help to warm you up and make you feel really good,” says Per-Magnus Persson, co-owner of Two Swedes Glögg.

Is alcohol cheap in Sweden?

Is alcohol in Sweden expensive? It can be, especially when buying alcohol in bars or restaurants, but not always. Sweden certainly has a reputation for high prices for alcohol. In general, prices for beer, wine and spirits in Swedish bars and restaurants are likely to be higher than in the UK.

What is Norway's alcohol?

Beer and vodka are the only alcoholic beverages produced in Norway in any quantity. Norwegian vodka is of particular note and is produced by several distilleries and under several brands. Some akvavit, a traditional Scandinavian flavored spirit, is also made in Norway.

What is Norway's favorite drink?

Aquavit. As for alcoholic beverages, the top Norwegian spirit drink is definitely Aquavit, also often called Akvavit. This Norwegian liquor is derived from potatoes and grain and is traditionally consumed during celebrations like Christmas and weddings.

What is the national drink of Denmark?

Although akvavit is their national drink, many in Denmark consider Gammel Dansk (Old Danish) to be representative of their country.

Is wine popular in Sweden?

Bartoldsson told of recent changes. The wine scene is growing and there's a very positive feeling in Sweden now regarding wine making. It's in the second phase. In the late 1990s and early 2000's, everyone was trying to grow every grape variety.