Shaken and Stirred — Crafting Cocktails from Finland

If you wait around long enough, so conventional wisdom says, everything eventually comes back into fashion.

And if you find yourself at a bar in Finland, you might discover that cocktails with a retro taste are back in fashion these days as well — vintage recipes, nostalgic ingredients, simple pure and clean flavours are being served up.

“The trend has been for a while old school cocktails” says Erno Vainanen, a mixologist from Kuopio, Finland, who works with local drinks company Lignell & Piispanen.

The idea that old style cocktails are en vogue extends beyond the drink to the core ingredients as well. Hand picked berries, water from fast-flowing rivers, seasonal herbs and wildflowers which are a part of the distilling process. Consumers expect high quality from Finnish alcohol — but it’s the extra touches of nature which make it truly world class.

“Seasonal drinks are also becoming popular, because we have awesome nature here” explains Vainanen. “From the forest you find new things for your cocktails, and that’s trendy too”.

Lignell & Piipanen embodies that idea of small batch excellence, but updated for a modern palate. Their glass bottles are as distinctive as the warm rich colours of their berry liquor range. Their premium vodka has a spicy twist. The vintage mulled wine conjours up nostalgic feelings.

“Barmen are playing with the senses, mixing cocktails with different colours, using simple tastes and aromas, pure gin, pure vodka, and of course in Finlnad we are proud of our products” says Vainanen.

That’s a sentiment echoed by Shaman Spirits’ Ilpo Sulkala. “We want to be recognised for manufacturing drinks that are known for their unique taste. Drinks that you want to return to. Drinks that evoke memories and desires”.

Something Old, Something New

The idea of taking something old and turning into something new has been a common theme in Finland’s small batch distilleries in recent years. Two of the best known success stories are Kyrö Distillery and the Helsinki Distilling Company.

Kyrö’s distillery was once an old cheese factory, then a car storage shed. Careworn and in need of a new lease on life, it tranformed into a sleek distillery producing first award-winning gin — flavoured with local herbs and flowers — and still to come, rye whisky.

Helsinki Distilling Company set up shop in a building that has been at different times a district heating plant, a soap factory and a car wash. Today, the transformation is remarkable, with gleaming stills, wooden barrels and shelves lined with spices and berries.

And again, it’s the Finnish ingredients that give their gin its original taste.

“We are using a Nordic ingredient as one of the key ingredients of the gin — lingonberry” explains Helsinki Distilling Company’s Seamus Holohan. “When you put that together with the story of the distillery being the first distillery in Helsinki for over a century, it gives people some food for thought”.

“Our Helsinki Dry Gin is an excellent sipping gin, as well as something you can use in cocktails” says Holohan. “And what you can taste, it’s quite heavy on the juniper berries, and also you get the lingonberry” he says.

“The lingonberry gives it a very nice round taste to the gin, so it’s a long aftertaste, and what comes later are some of the citrus notes. The dried bitter orange peel, and the fresh lemon peel”.

Craft Beer Growth

It’s not only Finnish premium liquor producers who are enjoying success with their products. Finland’s craft beer makers are also experiencing a renewed interest in their brews.

Brew pubs, and local breweries can be found all over the country — and now beginning to find their way in the international markets. This autumn, the first shipment of beer from Mallaskoski brewery went to China — a recipe for success the Seinäjoki microbrewery achieved after partnering with a Chinese company.

Local small batch breweries adhere to the same principals as distilleries in using locally sourced ingredients where possible, and it’s a hit with consumers. A recent beer festival in Espoo attracted hundreds of people and a dozen Finnish microbreweries.

“It’s mostly about having fresh beer, local beer” says Heikki Ylinen from Fat Lizard Brewing Company, sipping a pint as beer enthusiasts queued up to be served. The Otaniemi-based microbrewers use Finnish grain and high quality pure clean water straight from the taps to make their beer. At present they distribute their products in capital-area restaurants but have an eye on expansion in the future, selling in supermarkets and possibly exporting overseas as they increase production volume.

Mökki Bar Finland

This year, Food from Finland presents ‘Mökki Bar Finland’ at BarConvent Berlin — one of Europe’s most important alcohol fairs, which attracts key tastemakers, mixologists, bar managers and owners from across the continent, but especially Germany.

“You have to get the bartenders knowing your products, and they talk to the buyers — it’s the best audience in Europe for making new contacts” says Erno Vainanen.

Mökki Bar Finland evokes a traditional Finnish cottage, nestled in the forest, surrounded by nature. Barmen from Lignell & Piispanen, Shaman Spirits, Kyrö Distillery and The Helsinki Distilling Company are mixing cocktails and showcasing the flavours and quality of Finnish alcohol.

“Finland can show the world our originality, that we are proud to make the best spirits in the world these days” says Erno Vainanen. “People are surprised by the high quality, the artisan, handmade qualities for sure”.

And at the end of the day, how does a barman relax? “If i take a cocktail I take an Old Fashioned or a gin and tonic” says Vainanen. “A very simple cocktail”.