Akvavit, also known as aquavit, is a Scandinavian distilled beverage of typically about 40% alcohol by volume. Its name comes from aqua vitae, the Latin for "water of life".

Like vodka, it is distilled from potato or grain. It is flavoured with herbs such as caraway seeds, cumin, dill, fennel or coriander, among others. Akvavit usually has a yellowish hue, but is available in many colours, from clear to light brown.

It is usually drunk as a snaps during meals, especially during the appetizer course— along with pickled herring, crayfish, lutefisk or smoked fish. In this regard it is popularly quipped that akvavit helps the fish swim down to the stomach.

Among the most important brands are Gilde and Løiten's Linie from Norway, Aalborg from Denmark and Skåne and O.P Andersson from Sweden. The Linie brand is carried in old oaken sherry casks on ships, crossing the equator twice before it is sold, which makes it mellower than other brands. A similar process is applied to Madeira wine.

There are several methods of drinking akvavit. It is surprisingly often shot a glass at a time, and although this is usually attributed to tradition, it is suspected that it has something to do with the fact that some people have problems with the spirit's special taste. Akvavit connoisseurs, on the other hand, tend to treat akvavit like fine whisky, sipping slowly away and delving into flavours and aromas.

Akvavit arguably complements beer better than many other spirits, and in a drinking situation, any quantity of akvavit is usually preceded (or succeeded) by a swig of beer.

In Norway it is particularly drunk at celebrations, such as Christmas or May 17 (Norwegian Constitution Day).

Trivia

When introducing skeptical celebrity friends Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones to akvavit at a private home dinner, Norwegian film director Harald Zwart excused akvavit's taste by calling it "rocket fuel".

Spellings

• Norwegian: akevitt