3 Best Vodka Cocktails for Swedish Midsummer

Ask any Swede to name the biggest celebration in the Swedish calendar and the answer will almost always be the same: Midsummer.

Celebrated on a Friday between 19 and 25 June, Midsummer is when Swedes sing, dance and mark the longest day of the year – and yes, hop around a maypole pretending to be frogs. Don’t ask.

Like any great celebration, food, friends and drinks are central to the occasion. Here at Absolut, we’re proud of our Swedish heritage — Absolut Vodka is made in Åhus, a small village in the south of Sweden – so we’ve put together three vodka cocktails that capture the spirit of Midsummer, each made with a different Absolut flavored vodka.

1. Swedish Spritz
 

The Swedish Spritz couldn’t be more Swedish if it tried – strawberries, elderflower and dill in a single glass. Basically Midsummer in a wine glass.

Made with Absolut Citron, fino sherry, cucumber bitters and elderflower tonic water, garnished with a cucumber ribbon, fresh strawberries and a sprig of dill. Here’s how to make one:

1. Fill a wine glass with ice cubes.
2. Measure and pour 30ml Absolut Citron into the glass.
3. Measure and add 15ml fino sherry.
4. Add 2 dashes of cucumber bitters.
5. Top up with elderflower tonic water.
6. Stir gently to combine.
7. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon, a couple of fresh strawberries and a sprig of dill.

2. The Swedish Swing
 

Everyone knows the classic Singapore Sling – but what happens when you give it a Swedish twist?

The Swedish Sling follows the same recipe as the original but swaps gin for Absolut Grapefruit – cherry liqueur, pineapple juice, grenadine, lime juice, triple sec, French herbal liqueur and a dash of bitters, with a grapefruit-forward vodka doing what gin usually does. The result is fruity, complex and, as Rico himself puts it, potentially better than the original.

“Bartenders are going to hate me for saying it, but I kinda prefer it,” says Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan, bartender and Absolut Global Brand Ambassador.  High praise from the drink’s creator.

Watch Rico make both a Singapore Sling and Swedish Sling!

3. Swedish Summer
 

Elderflower again – and no apologies for it. If there’s one flavor that defines Midsummer, it’s this.

The Swedish Summer is a simple, three-ingredient built cocktail – Absolut Lime, the floral charm of elderflower cordial and the effervescence of crisp soda water, served in a highball glass over ice and garnished with a lime wheel. Here’s how to make one:

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Use a jigger to measure and pour 30ml Absolut Lime and 10ml elderflower cordial into the glass.
3. Top with soda water and stir gently with a bar spoon to combine.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Skål!

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Looking for more drinks-priation? Explore more cocktail recipes.