Mike's Mix: Swampwater From Norseman Distillery

There are different recipes out there for a Swampwater cocktail, which include ingredients that range from vodka, to Midori, to blue curaçao, to Malibu, to cucumber. Yech. Swampwater is right.

While there may be no right recipe, Norseman Distillery's recipe certainly is a top-shelf, high-proof version that is remarkably smooth and well-balanced without any added sugar.

Fresh pineapple juice contains enough sugar to sweeten the cocktail on its own. Ice -- crushed or shaved ice, with its increased surface area -- provides the right amount of dilution to tame the heat of Norseman's version of Chartreuse (known as Olympia).

Considering that the herbal liqueur is most often added to recipes on the order of a quarter-to-half-ounce at a time, it's remarkable that a cocktail with such a simple construction turns out to be such a balanced, sippable treat.

Recipe:

2 oz Green Chartruese
1 ½ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice

Instructions:

Assemble all ingredients in a Collins glass filled with shaved or crushed ice. Stir gently to combine, and top with additional ice to fill the glass. Serve with a straw.

Norseman Distillery was the first micro-distillery to open in Minnesota in modern times. Their cocktail room features a Scandinavian-cum-industrial feel, and is open every day but Sunday.