‘Too early for a drink?’ A few months after the first Covid lockdown, questions started popping up on Twitter, in text messages and online work groups. During the pandemic, cocktails and cocktail culture made a comeback, slowly returning as part of daily life in many places. We’ve longed for rituals, we’ve had the time and, after a long day of home schooling and Zoom meetings, we’ve had the need, as well. The cocktail hour of yesteryear is back – always from five to six pm – providing a well-deserved breather before evening begins. And now that summery dresses and sandals have been taken out and dusted off, and barbecues, drinks and lots of festive events lie ahead, the time is right to make sure your drinks cabinet is well-appointed and that you’ve got a shaker, jigger and strainer in your kitchen somewhere. Even if classics like Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Margarita and Mint Julep never go out of fashion, this year we’ve been on the lookout to find unique Bornholm drinks that match summer vibes, regardless of whether you prefer relaxing beach parties, brunch at a restaurant or your own garden parties. This article presents four delicious summer drinks with Bornholm roots. Let’s start out with a safe bet: a Bornholm ‘Mojito’. Camilla and Mads Meisner run one of Denmark’s first sea buckthorn plantations at Fløjlegård farm in Ibsker. The plantation is farmed organically, and they harvest the sea buckthorn themselves. Today, it’s possible to buy more than ten different sea buckthorn products at the farm shop. But the best thing to do – on Friday afternoons after Midsummer’s Eve until late August – is to attend a ‘Drinks in the Country’ event and sample the Bornholm version of a Mojito. They’ve renamed it ‘Bohato’ and make it with sea buckthorn slush ice and chocolate mint – providing a colourful new, richly flavourful start to any weekend. Marshoud Dababneh, co-owner of Bornholm Spirits, suggests a ‘Stormy Bornholmer’, made with nothing less than the old Bornholm classic Sevablødda. In the past, Sevablødda was the secret weapon of hard-working stevedores, because a shot of this Bornholm drink gave them extra energy before having to pull ships and boats up the slipway. Sevablødda is still being produced according to an original recipe from 1909, and Sevablødda’s warm, spicy aroma of cinnamon, cherries and cloves is complemented by its lovely golden colour. The strong classic is a renowned culprit at most Bornholm bars, and after downing a Stormy Bornholmer, the bench warmers rarely stay seated for long. Bornholm natives Katja and Mick Dahl run the cocktail bar Dahl&Dahl on Dronningens Tværgade in Copenhagen. The twins from the sunshine island have by no means forgotten their Bornholm origins, and Katja recommends the cocktail ‘Bornholm Granite’. The ingredients include Honey Schnapps and Rosemary Lime. Honey Schnapps is a traditional Bornholm schnapps made with honey and fresh herbs. With a Bornholm Granite in hand, it doesn’t matter so much that you can’t wiggle your feet in the sand in the centre of Copenhagen as you enjoy your drink. Rie Uldahl, qualified chef and owner of NORD Snaps, has also provided her version of a summery cocktail. NORD Snaps produces four nature-inspired types of schnapps from Bornholm which are blended into simple compositions to clearly accentuate aromas and tastes. In Rie’s opinion, a cocktail always tastes a little better if enjoyed while gazing at the sea. She recommends the cocktail ‘Sea Foam’ (Havskum), a reinterpretation of a classic Whisky Sour. This delicious, refreshing cocktail is easy to get addicted to on warm summer days. The type

of schnapps used in ‘Sea Foam’ is Rie’s ‘Caramelised Apple and Oak Schnapps’ made solely of Bornholm produce: apples, honey and oak wood. The schnapps has an unusually soft, elegant taste, comparable to an excellent Calvados. It actually won a gold medal at the Danish Schnapps Championships, and you will undoubtedly cheat yourself if you fail to visit NORD Snaps at Glastorvet in Svaneke. It isn’t far from the shop to the rocky coast where ‘Sea Foam’ reputedly tastes best. These four refreshing versions of a summer cocktail, with a Bornholm twist, provide a basis for experimenting with Bornholm drinks on warm summer evenings. Make the Bornholm cocktails at your holiday cottage, in the garden or on the beach – or back home when you return to your everyday routine. Although cocktail hour begins around 5 pm, you don’t really have to wait until then, because, as US country singers Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett made clear in their gigantic hit from 2003: ‘It’s Five O’clock Somewhere’.