Brennivin Opal Icelandic Liqueur

Opal is Iceland's salted-licorice liqueur, produced by Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson in Reykjavík, the brewery founded in 1913 that also makes Brennivín, and brought to the US by Skurnik. It takes its name and flavor from Opal, one of Iceland's most beloved licorice candies, and the drink has folk roots: Icelanders used to drop a box of Opal into a bottle of vodka and warm it until the candy dissolved. The commercial version does it properly. The base is a fermented potato mash, flavored with caraway seed and dill, the same botanicals that define Brennivín, and loaded with salted black licorice and salmiak, the ammonium-chloride salt that gives Nordic licorice its sharp, salty, slightly astringent character so different from American licorice. There is a hint of menthol on the finish that cleans the palate. Bottled at 40% ABV. It tastes like the candy and then some: licorice and caraway coat the whole mouth and stay there, with enough sweetness to keep it from turning harsh. In Iceland this is a celebratory shot; over here it is a conversation piece and a strange, good addition to a Black Manhattan or a coffee cocktail.

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