Karsk
Karskkarshk
A glass of thin coffee with an alarming amount of clear spirit in it, measured by a coin at the bottom of the cup. It comes from the farms of central Norway, and it is less a coffee with a dash of something than a spirit with a hint of coffee.
At a glance
- Coffee : spirit
- 1:1
- Active time
- 2 min
- Total time
- 6 min
- Makes
- 1 glass
- Serve
- Hot
- Kit
- Coffee pot
Ingredients
Note: The amount of spirit here is already generous. Traditional karsk can be far stronger. Do not use home-distilled spirit unless you know exactly where it came from.
Method
-
Brew weak coffee
Make thin coffee, about a third of the strength you would normally drink. In the traditional way, a spoon of coarse grounds is boiled briefly in a kettle and left to settle.
Weak is deliberate. The coffee is there to flavour and warm, not to compete.
Boil 2 minutes, settle 2 -
Coin in the glass
Put a clean coin in the bottom of a thick, heatproof glass.
-
Coffee until the coin disappears
Pour coffee into the glass until you can no longer see the coin.
-
Spirit until it reappears
Add spirit until you can see the coin again. Add sugar if you like and stir.
That is the traditional measure, and it is not a joke. Clear spirit thins and clears the coffee until the coin shows through. It takes a lot.
Why this works
The coin measure works because of colour and dilution. Coffee is opaque because of its dissolved solids and suspended oils, and weak coffee is only just opaque. Adding a large volume of clear spirit dilutes those solids until light passes through to the bottom of the glass again. With weak enough coffee that happens at around equal parts, which makes the drink roughly half spirit. That is the honest description: it is closer to warm, coffee-flavoured spirit than to spiked coffee.
The coffee is kept weak on purpose, partly so the coin trick works and partly for taste. A strong, bitter brew combined with that much alcohol is harsh. Thin coffee adds warmth, a little roast and a little bitterness, and lets the spirit carry the drink. Sugar is optional and rounds it off.
Heat matters. Warm alcohol vaporises readily, so a hot karsk smells strongly of spirit and warms the face before it reaches the mouth, which is much of its appeal in a Trøndelag winter.
Karsk belongs to Trøndelag, the region around Trondheim, and to the rural tradition of home distilling, which was long tolerated in the countryside despite being illegal. It is drunk at weddings, funerals, hunting trips and long winter evenings. Sweden has a close relative called kaffegök, and the coin method turns up there too. Commercial karsk in bottles has appeared in Norway in recent years, a sign the drink has moved from the barn to the shop.
Variations
- Kaffegök: the Swedish version, often with a little more coffee.
- With aquavit: a caraway-flavoured spirit gives a very Scandinavian cup.
- Light karsk: 30 ml of spirit and more coffee, which no Trønder would recognise.
- With Scandinavian egg coffee: the clarified Scandinavian egg coffee makes an unusually clean base.
This drink is around half spirit. A single glass can contain more alcohol than two standard drinks. Never use home-distilled spirit of unknown origin, which can contain methanol. Not for children, drivers, or anyone avoiding alcohol.
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Questions
What is karsk?
A Norwegian drink from Trøndelag of weak hot coffee mixed with a large amount of clear spirit, traditionally home-distilled, measured with a coin at the bottom of the glass.
How does the coin trick work?
You pour coffee until the coin disappears, then add spirit until you can see it again. The clear spirit dilutes the coffee enough for light to reach the coin. It usually means roughly equal parts.
How strong is karsk?
Very. Made the traditional way it can be around half spirit by volume. A single glass may hold more alcohol than two standard drinks.
What spirit is used in karsk?
Traditionally home-distilled spirit, known as hjemmebrent. Commercially, a plain vodka is the usual substitute.