The Water of Life

Aquavit dates back at least to 1531, when the archbishop of Trondheim received a bottle of liquor along with a letter stating, “I send Your Grace some water called Aqua vitae. This water cures all types of internal diseases from which a human being may suffer.” Its name, of Latin origin, means “water of life,” and at first it was hailed as a remedy for everything from labor pains and rheumatism to indigestion, headaches, colds, gangrene, and lice. Lumbermen were supplied with bottles of aquavit in order to keep warm and to have something to drink that would not freeze while they worked in the forest, and farm workers would have a glass or two in the morning before they went out to the fields. After a while, the authorities realized that aquavit too had its limitations and started discouraging its use and levying taxes on it like other alcoholic beverages. But by then it was a part of the national character, and versions were made in tens of thousands of home distilleries—a tradition that is still practiced today.