Aquavit

This fizzy brunch cocktail has a touch of savory aquavit and a bitters-soaked sugar cube.

The Trident cocktail is a riff on a negroni that uses Spain’s sherry, Italy’s Cynar, and Scandinavia’s aquavit.

Ripe strawberries give this refreshing cocktail a patriotic hue and delicious sweetness.

This method works well with other fish. Substitute salmon or fresh trout for the char if you like.

Choose an unaged aquavit like Aalborg.

"Using kombucha for tartness in this drink offers a flavor profile that we know and love in highballs like a Tom Collins, but with a different perspective." —Eamon Rockey; Aska, Brooklyn

Can't find aquavit? It's easy to make your own by infusing vodka with herbs and spices.

We never went hungry as kids. And we have no inherent fear of the next Great Depression or anxiety about canned food. Still, we always want more. Wanting and eating four of the Swedish shrimp-egg things you can buy in the restaurant at IKEA is a good example of that. Another good example is how we would have piled more stuff on this modest toast if we could have fit it: a can of sardines from Bretagne, maybe, or quails stuffed with crab hiding in the corner. Our first reaction on seeing this photo was, “Shit, we forgot clams.” There are thirty items here, and if we do another book, we will put in sixty, we promise (just so we don’t run out of food). Disclaimer: In no way do we aspire or pretend to serve authentic Scandinavian food. This is just our view projected onto a classic. The closest we have been to Scandinavia is Fred Heimlich-maneuvering a Dane who choked on the biggest oyster ever eaten raw. And it was a weird experience because it was like they kissed; they were shy around each other for the rest of the evening. In the list that follows, an asterisk means a recipe is included. If there’s no *, it means the item is straightforward and you can figure it out. We suggest serving the items on rye bread or a baguette sliced lengthwise and buttered. You then eat your open-faced sandwich with a fork and knife. Or, you can do as we do: add condiments and eat it like a military strategist, portioning, placing, moving, and rationing. Regarding yields: the smorgasbord is more of a concept than a straightforward recipe. The smorgasbord shown here serves 4 to 6, and includes every single thing listed. You don’t have to follow our lead (though we would be pleased). Typically we put 4 or 5 proteins and 4 or 5 condiments on the average smorgasbord. Following this rule, each of the small recipes serves four.

At 1105, a bar in Copenhagen, juniper-inflected gin is paired with caraway-flavored aquavit, Scandinavia's traditional eau-de-vie.

A beautiful bright orange, this soup has the sweetness of carrots and the aromatic nuttiness of caraway.

This classic tomato juice cocktail gets extra flavor from aquavit, a distilled spirit infused with fragrant herbs and spices.

(Hot Scandanavian Christmas Punch)

The following Bloody Mary recipe is based on a spicy tequila-chaser from Mexico called sangrita, which is usually made with the juices of tomatoes and oranges and sometimes other fruit. Adding to our variation's international flavor, Scandinavian aquavit takes the place of vodka or gin.

A splash of aquavit is the finishing touch to this practically-no-fat starter.

This granita is not particularly sweet and is best served as a first or intermezzo course. Try it on top of raw oysters or thick tomato slices.