What ingredients are in a Karsk?

1 part Coffee, 2 parts Grain alcohol

What glass do you use for a Karsk?

A Karsk is traditionally served in a Highball glass.

How strong is a Karsk?

A Karsk has an estimated ABV of 49.40%.

How many calories are in a Karsk?

A Karsk contains approximately 336 calories per serving.

Karsk is a traditional Norwegian drink made by combining aquavit or home-distilled grain spirit with hot coffee. It is a folk beverage associated with rural Norwegian culture, particularly in the Trøndelag region. The ratio of spirit to coffee varies by personal preference and tradition.

How is Karsk traditionally served?

Karsk is served hot in a cup or mug, combining strong black coffee with a generous measure of aquavit or locally produced spirit. A traditional method involves determining the right strength by dropping a coin into the cup and adding spirit until the coin becomes visible through the dark liquid.

Is Karsk similar to other coffee-spirit drinks?

Karsk shares its basic structure with drinks like Irish Coffee and Jamaican Coffee—a spirit added to hot coffee—but differs in using aquavit or a neutral grain spirit rather than whiskey or rum. The aquavit imparts distinctive caraway or dill-like herbal notes not found in other coffee-spirit combinations. It is considered a Norwegian folk tradition rather than a crafted cocktail.

Karsk is a traditional Norwegian drink in which powerful grain spirit is stirred into black coffee, governed by a regional ritual: a coin is placed at the bottom of the cup, coffee is poured until the coin disappears, and spirit is added until it reappears. The custom yields one of the strongest beverages in the Norwegian folk repertoire, fusing the stimulant lift of coffee with the searing heat of grain alcohol at nearly 50 percent ABV. Warming and utilitarian, it emerged from the demands of the harsh Norwegian winter rather than from any cocktail bar.

Karsk

グラス Highball glass

難易度 Easy

カロリー ~336 kcal

ABV 49.40%

材料

Coffee 1 part
Grain alcohol 2 parts

手順

Put a copper coin in a coffe-cup and fill up with coffee until you no longer see the coin, then add alcohol until you see the coin. Norwegian speciality.

Warm Strong

カルスクは強力な穀物スピリットをブラックコーヒーにかき混ぜる伝統的なノルウェーのコーヒーと穀物アルコールの飲み物で、カップの底のコインが再び見えるまでスピリットを注ぐという地域の慣習で有名です。ノルウェーの民俗飲料の伝統の中で最も強い飲み物の一つで、コーヒーの刺激効果と穀物アルコールの強烈な熱さを組み合わせています。厳しいノルウェーの冬から生まれた温かみのある実用的な飲み物です。

History & Origins

Karsk originates in the Trøndelag region of Norway, where it has been consumed as a working-class warming drink since at least the 19th century. The traditional copper-coin gauge for the correct amount of spirit is a widely celebrated piece of Norwegian drinking folklore. While commercial grain spirit has largely replaced the homemade moonshine 'hjemmebrent' of earlier eras, the drink's basic formula remains unchanged.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Strong black coffee and raw grain alcohol, harsh and pungent with no sweetness. Palate: Intensely bitter and burning — the coffee's roasted bitterness is amplified by the grain spirit's raw heat, with almost no sweetness to soften the impact. Finish: Very long and fiery, with searing grain-alcohol warmth and a roasted coffee bitterness that lingers.

bitter fiery roasted raw intense

Pro Tip

Follow the traditional Trøndelag method: pour black coffee first, then add grain alcohol slowly until you can see the copper coin placed at the bottom of the cup.

Data verified 2月 2017

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