ÍSLAND KAFFI [II] Coffees + Cocktails in the Icelandic Countryside
ÍSLAND KAFFI [II]
Coffees + Cocktails in the Icelandic Countryside
AS THE SAYING GOES
“put a coin in the bottom of the cup and pour coffee until you can’t see the coin, then pour Brennivín until you can see it again.”
This was the unofficial recipe for Iceland’s Governor’s Coffee, made popular by star bar tender Andri Davíð Pétursson. “Officially” it includes also cream and Icelandic rock candy, but make it how you like – we just used Oatly. If you could compare it to anything else, maybe an Irish Coffee, or Spain’s Carajillo. But in Iceland, Nick and I knew we had to make it our own… in front of the DC-3 Plane Wreck!
We pre-measured and ground 20 g of Peruvian coffee beans from Reykjavik Roasters', busted them up with the Helor hand grinder [Melbourne], popped in a deluxe Aesir filter from Aubade Coffee [Vancouver], poured in pre-heated Icelandic tap water, waited 1:40 and pressed out a brew, poured the brew over the coin until it couldn't be seen in the Reykjavík cup, poured in a lot of Brennivín, and topped it off with some Oatly [Sweden] as 'cream'. As you can see, it's really a global drink.
We soon realized the saying was more of an old island tale, as to dilute the coffee with that much alcoholic beverage to make the coin visible again wouldn’t exactly render it undrinkable, but it would be tough. Done reasonably, it’s a really nice traditional Icelandic drink. Of course, ‘reasonable’ is a relative term here, so try it yourself!
SNORRI JÓNSSON [REYKJAVIK DISTILLERY]
It was Snorri of Reykjavík Distillery who recounted this recipe to us while we cozied up in his secret lab just outside of town. Nick hit him up by email a few days before we arrived out of interest in his unique liqueurs, and he invited us to swing by for a quick chat before we hit the road. Arriving at the workshop, and walking through his doors, we stood in awe of the big brass tanks, endless tubes and pipes, and big wooden crates.
“I’ve been distilling since 2009, and at the time, there was not much enthusiasm for local distilling. Mostly just cheap copies of Danish lakris [liquorice] liqueurs.”
Showing us an enormous crate of local crowberries, while we chewed on a handful, he explained how they work exclusively with 10 different groups of foragers to collect the main ingredients for their crowberry, blueberry, and rhubarb liqueurs. The famous Brennivín itself is distilled with angelica and two types of caraway – the regular which he uses as a base, and the Icelandic variety to give it a bit of flare.
We sipped on the delectable blueberry spirit as he explained the dynamic of local distillers. They have to go up against the same pricing scheme as the bigger brands, but competing at 70 % costs vs. the typical 70 % margins. This means they essentially have to spend quite a bit more money with less return, making things more difficult, but clearly not impossible.
“This makes the smaller guys all buddies because at the end of the day we all have to grow together. If someone makes a bad drink, and someone outside Iceland tastes it, they will categorize all Icelandic drinks under the same umbrella, so it really is better to support each other.”
Snorri gave us the full rundown on Iceland’s alcoholic history as well. Beer was illegal in Iceland until 1989. Why? Essentially, beer was left behind after the Icelandic prohibition [1915 – 1922]. When it was lifted, Spanish wines were the first back in as they had a trade agreement for Icelandic Cod. Then in 1932, spirits came back for whatever reason, and finally in ’89, it was decided that beer was also a good idea. We thought so too.
We were delighted to grab some of Snorri's bottles to experiment with on the road – here Nick prepares his signature Brennivín cocktail on Vík’s Black Sand Beach, with the addition of Börkur Liqueur and Bjarki Vodka from spirit comrade, Foss Distillery.
See Nick's recipe for the Icelandic Old Fashioned at the end of the article.
TORFI + BLAIRE [REYKJAVÍK ROASTERS]
Before leaving Reykjavík, we took a quick stop by Reykjavik Roasters to see where the magic happened. Ordering a oat cappuccino with an espresso on the side, we discovered “The Two-Barreled Gun”, and did a bit of planning as we let the caffeine sink in.
Sneaking up on one of the baristas to take his photo while he was preparing a little pour-over, and promising not to publish his face online (which was a lie of course), we got chatting and it turned out he was a fellow Canadian, from the west coast. Blaire’s been living and working in Reykjavik for over a year now and absolutely loves it. The café was consistently busy, yet infinitely cozy. Blaire runs off to deliver the filter, and Mr. Torfi Þór Torfason walks in.
“When the café first opened as Kaffismiðja Íslands,” He explains, “it was originally supposed to be just a roaster with a small sitting space for drinking coffee, but the reception from public was so positive, that they decided to turn it into a full-scale café.”
… a café that still very much looked like a living room furnished with a big blue coffee roaster, an espresso machine, and an old record player.
Torfi is now one of three owners, along with two women Dussy Sverrisdóttir and Imma Sigurðardóttir who were unfortunately not around that day. We sipped on a Kenyan filter coffee and talked a bit more coffee nerdery, while Blaire poured a batch of green beans the illustrious Giesen W6 Roaster. Torfi mentioned that they had another café in the next neighbourhood which was apparently very different from this one, also worth a look, and that they also have a number of wholesale clients across the island.
Unfortunately, we learned all the other wholesale clients had closed for the season already as their business was much more dependent on the summer crowd, so we grabbed a bag of Perú for the road. Bidding farewell and promising to write, we were finally on our way north.
ICELANDIC OLD FASHIONED
1oz Reykjavik Distillery Brennivín
1oz Foss Bjarki Birch Bark Vodka
1/4 oz Foss Börkur Birch Bark Bitters
1-2 sugar cubes, depending on size and desired sweetness
Muddle the sugar cube(s) with the bitters in a yari or cocktail mixing glass. Then add the vodka and the brennivín. Fill the mixer with ice and stir. Double strain the mix into a chilled rocks glass with ice. Finish by squeezing an orange or grapefruit zest over the glass and running the zest around the rim before adding to the glass.
FOOTNOTES
Again, a pleasure to collaborate with Lagoon Car Rentals and Original Grain Watches on this trip.