Having a national beverage seems to be de rigueur for small countries who want to maintain their cultural identity. Iceland is no exception, especially with the holidays almost upon us. The local tipple – its signature alcoholic beverage – is called “Brennivín,” an ancient Icelandic word that translates as “we see a really bad headache in your future.” It’s made from fermented potato pulp and flavored with caraway seeds.
At times it is consumed as a “chaser” after sampling “hákarl”, which consists of putrified shark meat, to mask the meat’s taste. One taste and you might think it must also be used to strip paint. In fact, while Icelanders don’t regularly drink Brennavin, they seem to delight in buying visitors a round just to see their faces after downing a shot or two.
It’s sold all over the country, even in cute little Icelandic sweaters at the airport. People like to pretend you have to be some kind of reality TV show contestant to drink Brennivín. It’s really not that bad. Just keep it as close to 32 degrees F., and you’ll be fine. Drunk yes, but otherwise fine.
