Drink of the Week: Helan Går!

Actually, we get TWO drinks this week. Who doesn't like a twofer?

First, the IKEA dinner. Carl* (Mr. Cayce) got some tickets to the Swedish Club of Houston dinner at IKEA. IKEA was having a special Crawfish Party to introduce their new Executive Chef. The chef served up some Swedish specialties: meatballs, lingonberry sauce, dill-flavored crawfish (served cold), some crispbread and Havarti. I guess you, uh, have to be Swedish to fully appreciate those things.

But it was a nice party anyway. The Swedish are very big on drinking songs, and they had a songbook at every place (along with a silly hat and bib -- also traditional). We learned a great Swedish drinking song, which went something like this:

Ååååååååååååååååååååååååååååååååå

Gåååååååååååååååååååååååååååååååå

Oh, and to drink they offered lingonberry juice, though you could buy Shiner Blonde or vodka shots, too. So the natural thing was to put the vodka in lingonberry juice, which wasn't bad. We have dubbed this notional drink the "Baltic Breeze." I think it would be even better with a twist of lemon, or even a spot of lemonade. Further experiments to follow. Cayce and Carl brought me some Aquavit from Sweden, so we'll have to work that in somehow. (Carl insists that this is a "sipping vodka." We'll just have to see about that.)

And then, back at the Carlsson huset, Carl made spicy martinis by combining Absolut Peppar with few slices of jalapeño. Now that was just painful. But Papi and the other menfolk really liked it.

So thanks for a fun evening, Carlssons -- Tack ska du ha, Carl!

top photo: David Castor
Helan Går! means something like "Drink the whole thing or you won't get even half next time."
*Carl is a badass -- he speaks Swedish, Danish, Spanish and English. In spite of being raised in Florida.