Aquavit is a spirit common in Norway and often called “the gin of the Nordics,” because methods of production and the history of both are similar. Aquavit is matured in casks, giving it a golden color, and is often enjoyed during Christmas as a schnapps with a meal. Lysholm N52 Botanisk Aquavit, designed by OlssønBarbieri, might look like a bottle of gin at first glance, but upon further inspection you will find that it’s actually something much more special.

“The founder Jørgen B. Lysholm originally studied chemistry in Berlin in the 1820s and was the first to produce a refined and clear spirit thanks to the introduction of his innovative apparatus. A transparent liquor takes us back to the very beginning of the Lysholm adventure before cask maturation was common. These same years are also considered to be the start of the modern bar when cocktails were first invented and the scope of this project was to tap into the potential of creating an Aquavit specially developed for use in cocktails by reviving the very roots of this local spirit brand and in that way also make the aquavit consumption less seasonal.”

“Lysholm no 52 is named after an original recovered recipe developed especially for cocktails with 11 different botanical elements. Caraway from the island of Inderøy, star anise, coriander and bitter orange are some of the botanicals integrated together with the ornaments in the illustration. The bottle has an archetypical and clean geometrical shape inspired by apothecary and chemistry bottles creating associations to experimentation and mixing. The glass colour is also inspired from glass bottles from the 1800´s while the custom lettering and ornaments carries references to the victorian era. The warm grey coloured label carries a signature recipe printed in the glue, visible through the liquid while copper foil and capsule are complementary colours to the blue and recalls the pot-stills used in the production.”