So, during my May trip to Stockholm – I was originally going to be entertaining myself. Ronald was set to be working while I did whatever I wanted. Being the spirits/cocktail nerd that I am, I had a list going of places I wanted to visit. I suppose Stockholms Bränneri had escaped my interest in my 2017 and 2019 visits – perhaps because I was not as much into spirits beyond whisk(e)y (yet). However, in bookmarking places – it quickly went to the top of my to do list. I noticed on their website they offer English tours, but our travel dates did not coincide with the English tour. We emailed the staff, and they recommended (as I was suspecting would work best) we book a table at their cocktail bar Brännerian. They advised flights of their spirits were available and someone could discuss with me the history and processes of the distillery.
Stockholms Bränneri is the first craft distillery in Stockholm. They primarily produce gin, but also some vodka, aquavit, apèritifs, and some alcoholic and non-alcoholic packaged cocktails. They’re located in an old Jaguar shop on the island of Södermalm (sometimes referred to as the Brooklyn of Stockholm…this island is known for its trendy, hip, and creative vibes as well as an active nightlife). The distillery was founded in 2016, and is the vision of husband & wife pair Anna & Calle. Inspired by visiting such places in Canada, their goal is to have a production facility with high quality drinkables and also include space for people to visit, enjoy, and learn. Driven by a passion for food and drink – they’ve accomplished this with their distillery and on site bar Brännerian. The bar program is innovative and experimental – producing nearly everything that goes in to the drinks in their own lab.
I started my visit with a flight of gin. Shocking…I know…lol. The Dry Gin has a Nordic spin on the botanicals – juniper, coriander, angelica, lemon peel, heather, elderflower and rosemary. I found it quite enjoyable. It would be versatile and work in many gin cocktails. There’s a Pink Gin which incorporates rhubarb and rose petals – so it takes on the slightest touch of floral notes. I particularly enjoy the Oak Gin (again shocking) as it spends some time in ex bourbon barrels and takes on some of the vanilla/wood sugar notes. Their Akvavit is like a marriage between aquavit and gin – it has notes of dill, caraway, fennel, and elderflower. I’m a big fan of aquavit…and I love it with strong caraway/rye bread flavor. The caraway is more subtle here and the dill is more prominent. Ronald started with a Rockefeller martini – it was Dry Gin, Navy Gin, vermouth, house made citrus bitters, spruce and mushroom oil and it’s served with an oyster. We also ordered bread with whipped butter and some Swedish cheese with a tart cherry spread. Everything was delicious. I also ordered the Hygge Old Fashioned. Their dry gin is fatwashed with bown butter, and it’s made into an old fashioned style cocktail with a bit of house made caramelized artichoke spirit, maple syrup and house made citrus and chocolate/cacao bitters.
As we were finishing up these beverages. Sean, the Brännerian bar manager, offered to show us the production facility and give us some background/history on the distillery. I didn’t know it at the time, but we were in the hands of one of Sweden’s highly accomplished bartenders. My first hint – we stepped into the distillery and bar “lab” and Sean began talking about the rotovap and how it is used to create various components for various cocktails. Conversation bloomed and the next thing you know I was asking for any recommendations on bars with good cocktail programs. He was so kind – and provided a list. I highly recommend checking out Brännerian and the distillery – the vibe and service are EXCELLENT. You can also pick up some of the spirits from Stockholms Bränneri at Systembologet. At home in Texas, I have been able to acquire the Akvavit, Dry Gin, and Pink Gin from Total Wine.
Sean’s recommendations took us to some really fun places and fantastic cocktails during the rest of our Stockholm stay.
First, we went to Tjoget. He advised that it would probably be better to check it out on a week night – because on the weekends it can get quite busy and have a very lively club like atmosphere. During the week it stays a little calmer – and the vibe is more popular neighborhood restaurant with a really solid bar/cocktail program. Between us, we had a Saturn (gin, vermouth. lemon oleo saccharum, salt, champagne vinegar), Fawlty Mai Tai (Cognac, rum, Yellow Chartreuse, rock candy syrup, basil orgeat, pistachio, lime) and Only The Fans (bourbon, rum, vermouth, pomegranate, absinthe, bitters). All cocktails were well executed and appropriate extensions of classics. The winner for me was the Only The Fans (that doesn’t really come as a surprise as whiskey is my general favorite spirit and stirred boozy cocktails are usually my preferred style).
Fairly late one evening- we made our way to Le Hibou at the Bank Hotel. This is a swanky/elegant rooftop/terrace bar on the top floor of the Bank Hotel in the city center. You can have a cocktail and scope out the view of the Stockholm “skyline”. Their menu tells a story with cocktails inspired by the various places (sights and buildings) that you can see from your seat along with a little history on them. The cocktails DO NOT disappoint – they’re imaginative and well executed. I fell in love with their take on a Manhattan – the Upper East Side which featured Maker’s Mark, Lillet Rosé, artic rasbperry, vanilla sugar and malic acid. I think it was probably my favorite of all cocktails from all the spots I visited in Stockholm this trip.
We also stopped in at A Bar Called Gemma – kind of early evening. If I were going to have a home base or my “Cheers” in Stockholm, it would be this bar. The atmosphere is contemporary/hip but also comfortable and laid back. It’s clear that they are passionate about cocktails, ingredients and process here. On our visit the menu was called “Devotion”. They had special sections devoted to “Jacking”, “Fermentation”, and “Pickling” on this menu as well as a selection of ABCG (A Bar Called Gemma) classics. The Jacking section features cocktails inspired by the early American process of making Applejack by freezing apple cider to concentrate it – often called “freeze distillation”. “Fermentation” features cocktails inspired by and utilizing the world’d oldest form of preservation – fermentation. The “Pickling” section features cocktails inspired by techniques using brine to draw out moisture prevent oxidation and again preserve things. The classics section features the bars more popular cocktails that are on the menu year round versus part of a seasonal menu. Another thing to note, their are numerous non-alcoholic options available on all sections of the menu that are created with the same passions and level of detail directed toward the alcoholic ones. During our visit, we tried the Velvet Thunder (from Fermentation- Maker’s Mark, Laird’s Jersey Lightning, Lustau PX Sherry, Fermented Chicha Morada, Citrus), Gemma (Classics- Bombay Sapphire Gin, Sake, Pistachio, Ginger, Citrus), Holy Wood (Fermentation- non-alcoholic, Palo Santo, Fermented Banana, Almond Orgeat, Tiki Tea, Orange, Lime), and Monferatto Hills (Jacking- non-alcoholic, Cloudberry Lemonade, Martini Floreale, Honey, Citrus, Soda water). Everything was fantastic – the namesake Gemma cocktail was a star and we loved the non-alcoholic Monferatto Hills.
Sean’s recommendations also included Lucy’s Flower Shop. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there on this Stockholm trip, but I’m sure we will be able to in a future visit. I felt good about my pre-trip research/place bookmarking, too…basically, I already had A Bar Called Gemma and Lucy’s Flower Shop saved in my Stockholm map. I probably wouldn’t have considered Tjoget and Le Hibou though…and that Le Hibou Upper East Side really stole the show.
