Salmiakki Koskenkorva
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Salmiakki Koskenkorva, (also Salmiakkikossu for short or generically as Salmari) is a pre-mixed vodka cocktail which caused a minor revolution in drinking culture in Finland during the 1990s. Today, Salmiakkikossu is the number one drink amongst locals and tourists in many pubs and nightclubs in Finland. Canonically it consists of Koskenkorva Viina vodka and ground up Turkinpippuri brand salty liquorice.
Before the 1990s, Finland had a very thin and stratified cocktail culture. A single episode of The Simpsons changed all that; at Flaming Moe's, Homer Simpson invents a new cocktail which is a huge hit and earns Moe a fortune. The cocktail consisted of cough medicine amongst other ingredients. Inspired by this, some Finnish drinking establishments started serving a similar drink made out of ground ammonium chloride (ie salmiakki in Finnish) based candy. If it was good enough for Homer, it was okay for the average Finn as well. It became a trendy drink especially amongst the youth of the day.
The recipe
The canonical DIY recipe for "Salmari" requires a half litre bottle of Koskenkorva; two bags of Fazer's Turkish Pepper (a.k.a. Tyrkisk Peber or Turkinpippuri) and a dishwasher. One swigs enough of the vodka to make room for stuffing the ground hot candy into the bottle. The cork is resealed tightly and the bottle is placed into the top tray of the dishwasher. After the machine has gone through a 60 degree wash and dry programme, the hot bottle is put into a fridge or window-sill to cool off. After it has cooled, it is ready to serve. If one does not have access to a dishwasher, it is possible to put the ground candy and vodka in a blender and mix it cold instead.
Tabloid scaremongering
Based on an urban legend of a mythical teenager who suffered a heart attack as a result of Salmari, tabloids were able to foment a furor strong enough for the state monopoly alcohol manufacturer and retailer to withdraw the premixed drink from sale throughout the country. But they did not destroy their large stock, but merely warehoused it for five years, until the furor died down. Even when Salmiakkikossu was withdrawn, the effect it had on Finnish cocktail culture remained unabated. Salmari had brought cocktails to the masses.
Although the original rumor of heart attack was bogus, the drink does have some dangerous properties as it is very insidious. The strong flavor of hot candy almost totally masks the presence of ethanol, and the imbiber may not realize he is consuming drink with almost 40% alcohol by volume (80-proof), leading to possible alcohol poisoning.
External links
- Suce Ma Saucisse (http://www.scene.org/~melwyn/sucemasaucisse/suce1.html) How to make Salmiakkikossu by Melwyn / Haujobbfi:Salmiakki Koskenkorva