I work outdoors and it was recently blackberry season, so it would be lax not to make use of them in a cocktail. I’ve been side-eyeing the Blackbeard for a while, curious and slightly concerned about using a savoury spiced liqueur. However, I don’t have aquavit. I do have some homemade kummel, and assumed the predominant spice (caraway) in both liqueurs would make this a fine substitute. It’s been difficult to find defini
tive explanation of the difference between kummel and aquavit, but what I can glean is that aquavit uses caraway and dill, while kummel uses caraway and cumin.
- 1 1/2 oz Gin
- 3/4 oz Aquavit
- 3/4 oz pineapple juice
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz agave syrup
- 4 blackberries
Muddle the blackberries in the shaker, then add everything else and shake without ice. Pour unstrained into a chilled tumbler. Top with crushed ice.
This drink is intriguing, and I couldn’t stop glugging to taste each different aspect of it. The cumin was a bit too forward, but it does still work well with the fruit. I’d advise actually following the recipe and using aquavit to solve this problem, although I would happily make it again using a smaller amount of kummel, and it would be a fantastic drink. This actually is a genius idea for a drink, caraway and juniper (gin) being very common in German cooking, so makes sense that they pair well.
