Thor’s Velvet Hammer

Recipe: Thor’s Velvet Hammer (serves one)

• 1 oz. brandy or Cognac
• 1 oz. white crème de cacao
• 1/2 oz. Krogstad Festlig Aquavit (or 1/2 oz. Cointreau for traditional Velvet Hammer)
• 1 oz. heavy cream
• Ground nutmeg

Shake liquid ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into martini glass. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg.

One of the bottles we brought back from our recent trip to Portland was Krogstad Festlig Aquavit, a Scandinavian-style spirit. We weren’t sure what to make with it: its dominant flavor is licoricey star anise, which one of us loves and the other doesn’t.

We started getting an idea when we poured a bit of aquavit over vanilla ice cream, and both liked it. We tried making a variant of the creamy dessert drink called the Velvet Hammer — apparently there are a lot of deceptively strong cocktails that go by that name, but the one we tried had brandy, crème de cacao, Cointreau, and cream.

The result was a hit. The star anise and the nutmeg garnish remind us of yummy spice cookies. Watch out, though: like the Norse god’s hammer, this drink packs a punch.