| Type | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Ingredients |
|
| Base spirit | Everclear,Moonshine,Vodka |
| Standard drinkware | Coffee cup |
| Served | Hot |
| Preparation | Heat the coffee; do not boil. Pour into cup and add the alcohol; serve hot. |
Karsk (also calledkask orkaffeekask, alongside a variety of different names) is Norwegiancocktail (from theTrøndelag region) containingcoffee together withmoonshine and sometimes a spoon ofsugar (enthusiasts often consider moonshine exclusively to be appropriate as an added component, as it has no inherent taste like other alcoholic beverages). Broader, it can also be found in other parts ofScandinavia.
The wordkarsk is derived from theOld Norse adjectivekarskr, meaning healthy, vigorous or agile.[1]
The precise origin ofkarsk is unknown, however it appears to have been a popular drink in the SwedishBohuslän district in the early 1800s. By the latter half of the century, its popularity spread across Norway. It was and still is especially popular in rural areas, although city-folk also enjoy it. It is firmly embedded as a part of the culture inTrøndelag, and according to former Norwegian Minister of CultureTrond Giske "Everyone who has grown up in Trøndelag, has had Karsk at some point".[2]
In English-speaking countries, the variant with vodka instead of moonshine is sometimes calledRussian coffee, though Russian coffee can also refer to a variant served with whipped cream.
In Norway, the termkarsk is predominantly used in the mid-region of the country (Trøndelag, roughly corresponding to the county ofTrøndelag), while it may be referred to with other terms in other parts of the country. For instance, it may also be referred to askaffedoktor ("Coffee doctor") orknikt (Hedmark dialect for knekt (jack/knave)); both these are for instance popular designations in the counties ofHedmark andOppland (merged toInnlandet after 1 January 2020). In Northern Norway it may also be referred to asrotar, though some would use these terms (kaffedoktor androtar) exclusively about a variety where sugar is added with the coffee.
InSweden it is calledkask,kaffekask ("strong coffee") orkaffegök and is mainly drunk in the central and northern parts. Even the Southeastern dialect ofFinnish has an expression for the beverage, there calledkaffeplörö orkaffeblörö.
In Denmark this type of drink is usually called akaffepunch and traditionally consists of nothing but coffee with schnapps.
The mixing ratio varies.