Salmiakki Koskenkorva

Nordic natives are known for their love of candies coated or filled with the mouth-tingling crystals known as salmiakki. This is the Finnish term for ammonium chloride, the lesser-known edible salt. In fact, Finns have such an affinity for the salty, astringent flavor of salmiakki-coated licorice that they even mix it into their alcohol.

As the popular story goes, inventive Finnish imbibers dissolved salmiakki candies into a bottle of Koskenkorva Viina, a highly distilled grain alcohol. The resulting sweet and salty beverage became a preferred treat by younger drinkers, acquiring the name “teenager’s vodka.” Koskenkorva, the savvy Finnish distiller who also produced the grain alcohol, took note and created a premixed version. Salmiakki Koskenkorva is a deeply inky liqueur alternately described as tasting like a salt-infused Sambuca, or, to critics, Windex-inflected Jägermeister.

Many drinkers, fans and critics alike, attest to the liqueur’s cough syrup flavor. This unique quality also makes Salmiakki Koskenkorva the perfect choice to recreate the “Flaming Moe,” a fictional drink made famous on an episode of The Simpsons. Or, if you don’t want something that intense, you can ease into the flavor by adding a dash to a cup of hot chocolate. And for the sober salmiakki lover, an alcohol-free version is also available.