City in a Glass: Minneapolis
Photo courtesy of Libby Anderson
Thirsty? You’re in luck. In Paste’s drinking-and-traveling series, City in a Glass, we mix up a city’s signature swills and slide them down the bar to readers. Grab a stool. This round, in Minneapolis, is on us.
Drink at enough bars in Minneapolis and you’re likely to hear the phrase “Nordic tiki” tossed around. This odd style of cocktail is a Northern European play on tropical libations, and it is specific to—and very prevalent in—Minnesota. In this part of the country, a third of the population is of Nordic descent (from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and its territories). So instead of making tiki drinks with the traditional rum, many bartenders make them with Genever, a Dutch predecessor to gin, or aquavit, a caraway- or dill-flavored grain spirit from Scandinavia.
“Tiki’s regained its popularity globally,” local barman Robert Jones says. “We’re embracing our heritage as a city and thinking about tiki from that aspect instead of classic tiki. Using aquavit and other things that we have locally makes it kitschy and fun.”
Simeon Priest, head bartender at Hi-Lo Diner, had a Nordic tiki drink on his menu this summer that he made with aquavit, aperitif wine, pineapple juice, cinnamon and blue Curaçao. “[A Nordic tiki drink] looks like a regular tiki drink but tastes more like caraway or rye; they’re not the classic pineapple-in-your-face, sit-by-the-pool type of cocktail,” he says. Priest, who grew up in Minneapolis, says aquavit was something people’s grandpas used to drink. “As a kid you tasted it and thought it was gross, but now we’re understanding the intricacies of it and the process that goes into making it.”
Another reason why aquavit has risen in popularity in Minneapolis is because it just started being produced here. Five years ago, after a heated legislative battle, the state relaxed its distilling laws and the city has had a boom in micro-distilleries ever since. Two of the most well respected distilleries are Norseman and Tattersall, the later of which now makes aquavit. The spirit is so hot that Jones says they’re distilling it “almost from a necessity standpoint.”
But aquavit and Nordic tiki drinks aren’t the only interesting aspects of Minneapolis cocktail culture. On this city drinks tour, we’re going to introduce you to three only-in-Minneapolis cocktails (made by three Minnesota natives), show you where to find them and even how to replicate them at home.
1. Sling
Where to order: Spoon and Stable
You’ll probably recognize every drink name on the menu at Spoon and Stable restaurant in North Loop. There’s the classic Negroni and the Gimlet, for example. But you may not recognize the ingredients listed underneath. Chamomile in the Negroni? Fennel pollen in the Gimlet? Head bartender Robert Jones says he focuses on making these classics fantastic first—and then better than anyone else. “We’re keeping the integrity of what the cocktail is, but modifying it slightly to make it unique,” he says. “We may change the spirit or add a couple of bells and whistles. That way the people who have had a Sazerac before aren’t having the same one.”
Take his Sling. A Sling doesn’t have a set recipe; it’s more of a format. “Most people are familiar with the Singapore Sling, but when I think of a Sling I think: base spirit, spirit-modifier, something sweet and some acid,” Jones says. (A Singapore Sling is made with gin, triple sec, cherry liqueur, herbal liqueur, Grenadine, pineapple juice, lime juice and bitters.)
For Spoon and Stable’s summer version of a Sling, Jones mixes Tattersall aquavit (of course) with watermelon juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, absinthe and a pinch of salt. Prior to making the drink, Jones compresses the watermelon juice with mint via a Cryovac, or vacuum-pack machine. This gives the watermelon a bright red color and prevents the mint from turning grassy when muddled. “Aquavit has all these cool spices in it that you don’t normally find in other things,” he says. “The absinthe kind of pushes that caraway and anise-y flavors to the top of the drink and it just makes everything echo and go forever.”
Photo courtesy of Eliesa Johnson
Photo courtesy of Erin Kincheloe-
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