25 Typical Finnish Beverages

Finnish long drink, also known as Lonkero, is a signature mixed drink from Finland. Its creation dates back to 1952 to serve international travelers visiting Helsinki for the Summer Olympics.

“Lonkero” comes from the English term “long drink,” distinguishing this beverage from regular mixed drinks that involve any liquor with a mixer. Lonkero always uses Finnish gin and a fruit soda, usually grapefruit.

Finnish long drink is the most consumed mixed drink in Finland and can be found in every Finnish store, bar, and restaurant, from draughts to bottled or canned versions.

The beverage company Hartwall led the creation of Lonkero. Hartwall Original Long Drink has the top spot among must-try Finnish Long Drink brands.

Other well-known Finnish long drink brands are KOFF Long Drink Gin & Grapefruit, Laitila’s Brändy Long Drink, and Estonia’s A. Le Coq Grapefruit Long Drink.

For some citrusy zest, Lonkero is an ideal accompaniment to all kinds of Finnish dishes, such as lohikeitto, silli ja uudet perunat, suklaakakku, and marjapiirakka.

Finnish beer is an immensely popular alcoholic beverage with a history dating back to the Middle Ages. According to Kirin Holdings, Finland is one of the European countries with significant beer consumption per capita.

One exceptional Finnish beer variant is Sahti, a traditional farmhouse ale brewed with rye and barley malts. It has a distinctive banana-like aroma, a sweet flavor, and a subtle juniper touch.

Baltic porter is Finland’s favorite type of lager. This cold-fermented beer unfolds nutty and chocolate notes, offering a sweet, robust profile with an alcohol level between 6.5% and 9.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Once governed by a 5-level beer tax class based on ABV, Finnish beers now have more freedom, yet many beverage companies still follow it voluntarily. When you look at the shelves, Finnish beer brands like Karhu, Olvi, and Karjala will catch your eye.

In Finland, a local beer pairs smoothly with grilled or savory dishes, including karjalanpaisti, kalakukko, porilainen, and ranskalaiset.

Finnish coffee, or kahvi, is an integral part of this country’s culture. Coffee arrived in Finland via Sweden and Russia in the 17th century and quickly gained popularity across Finland.

Today, Finland proudly claims the title of the world’s highest per capita coffee consumption based on the World Population Review. Made from light-roasted beans, Finnish coffee is served with milk and no sugar, making it a popular choice for breakfast.

Due to Finland’s cold weather, coffee breaks have become a common ritual. Finnish coffee is a catalyst for informal chats and social gatherings.

Locals usually pair Finnish coffee with pastries, desserts, and snacks, such as pulla, leipäjuusto, and korvapuusti.

Finnish vodka is a famous alcoholic beverage in this Nordic country. Inspired by Polish and Russian vodka, it typically utilizes barley and water, producing a pure, tasteless, clear liquor.

Finlandia Vodka and Ström Vodka are the most well-known brands in Finland. The former combines golden Finnish barley with pristine glacial spring water, while the latter uses water, grains, and high-quality potatoes.

Finnish vodka is a versatile spirit in many local cocktails or single straight shots. With a potential ABV of 40%, this vodka variety is stronger than its counterparts from other countries.

Besides commercial vodka, there’s also pontikka, which is Finnish homemade vodka or moonshine.

Vodka can complement any robust and hearty dishes, such as poronkäristys, siskonmakkara, and mykyrokka.

Koskenkorva Viina is a clear liquor from Finland, a local staple since the 1950s. It bears the name of its home village, Koskenkorva, and also goes by “Kossu” among its fans.

While Koskenkorva Viina is often called vodka in English, Finnish people refer to it as viina, a more general term for distilled liquor.

Potatoes or grains are the main ingredients of Koskenkorva Viina, which is typically sold in half-liter bottles and used in many Finnish mixed drinks.

The ordinary Koskenkorva Viina offers an ABV of 38%, while its export variants, named Koskenkorva Vodka, have an ABV of 40% to 60%.

Similar to vodka, Koskenkorva Viina pairs well with strong-flavored dishes, such as salmiakki, leipäjuusto, and poronkäristys.

Salmiakki Koskenkorva is a Finnish pre-mixed liqueur. Its main ingredients are Koskenkorva Viina and salmiakki (Nordic salty licorice).

The mix of these ingredients results in a liqueur with a licorice-like flavor and salty undertones. With an ABV of around 32%, Salmiakki Koskenkorva is often served neat to show its thick and smooth texture.

Popularized in the early 1990s, Salmiakki Koskenkorva has long been an ideal accompaniment for snacks and desserts, such as mämmi, leipäjuusto, and, of course, salmiakki.

Jaloviina is a cut cognac with its roots in Finland. Also known as Jallu, this robust drink contains cognac, neutral grain spirit, and water, resulting in a blend similar to cut brandy but with a cognac twist.

An exclusively Finnish drink, Jaloviina is graded by stars to indicate the cognac proportion, inspiring many nicknames based on Finnish military ranks. The more stars a Jaloviina bottle has, the higher the cognac content.

With an ABV between 30% to 41%, Jaloviina carries a bold taste with undertones of sugar and tar. As a trademark of the Anora Group, this cut cognac holds a unique place in the realm of Finnish spirits.

Rich and hearty dishes like poronkäristys, karjalanpaisti, and lihapullat are ideal for complementing the robust taste of Jaloviina.

Kyrö Napue gin is an outstanding Finnish liquor produced by the Kyrö Distillery Company. Its former name was Napue.

Kyrö Napue gin is a colorless, appealing spirit using rye and a selection of herbs. This rye gin produces a dry, sharp, and piney flavor, followed by a hint of spices, bready rye, and lemons.

With its botanical notes, Kyrö Napue pairs nicely with not-to-bold dishes, such as lohikeitto, kalakeitto, and ruisleipä.

Sima is a traditional fermented beverage from Finland. It is also known as Finnish spring mead due to its popularity during the festival of Vappu (May Day).

Sima primarily uses water, honey or sugar syrup, sugar, lemon, yeast, and raisins. The preparation process includes boiling water, adding sugar, lemon zest, and sugar, and fermenting at room temperature for a day or two.

This mixture is then added with raisins and sugar and fermented in the fridge for a few more days to create sima.

Named after an old Finnish word for honey, sima boasts a very low alcohol content. It can be regarded as a soft drink with Vappu treats like munkki, tippaleipä, and korvapuusti.

Sima was originally an expensive, high-alcohol drink from Germany and Latvia in the 16th century. The modern version emerged in the 18th century.

Glögi is a popular spiced alcoholic beverage in Finland and a local adaptation of glögg (Nordic mulled wine), a popular spiced wine throughout Northern Europe.

Glögi mixes red and port wine with brandy, sugar, water, blanched almonds, oranges, raisins, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Some versions even exclude alcohol to create a delicious beverage for people of all ages.

There are many ways to prepare this Finnish spiced liquor, but the general method involves boiling water and spices before adding the alcohol or simmering the alcohol and steeping the spices.

Glögi has been a Finnish Christmas drink since the 1970s. This festive beverage goes well with both rich and savory dishes, such as joulukinkku, lanttulaatikko, piparkakut, and korvapuusti.

Minttu, literally “mint,” is a refreshing Finnish liqueur offering a peppermint flavor. Crafted by Pernod Ricard, this liqueur boasts an ABV between 35% and 50%.

Minttu is cherished in Nordic and Baltic countries and comes in multiple flavors. For example, Minttu Black introduces a unique salty licorice note.

The peppermint flavor of Minttu makes it a wonderful digestif to serve after having desserts like mämmi and korvapuusti.

Lakka, literally “cloudberry,” is a Finnish liqueur using cloudberries (also known as Nordic berries). With an appealing amber hue, this liqueur carries an ABV of 21%, balancing a rich, bittersweet taste with the smoothness of honey.

While Lakka hails from Finland, it is distributed by the Sweden-based V&S Group, a Pernod Ricard subsidiary, and is internationally popular.

You can serve Lakka neat, turn it into cocktails (such as Lakka Cafe), or enjoy it with sweet desserts, such as kainuun rönttönen, munkki, and korvapuusti.

Marskin Ryyppy is a Finnish alcoholic beverage with a potent kick. It’s fondly called “the Marshal’s drink” in honor of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, a distinguished Finnish military leader and statesman.

This strong distilled liquor has an impressive ABV of 40%. Finnish people create it from a base of akvavit, a vodka-like spirit popular in Northern Europe, then add premium liquors for a colorless, balanced, and clean-tasting beverage.

Once an upgraded version of cheap vodka, Marskin Ryyppy is currently a proud Finnish product from Lignell & Piispanen.

Many locals enjoy Marskin Ryyppy as a snap (a small shot between meals), especially with savory snacks or appetizers like karjalanpiirakka, leipäjuusto, and salmiakki.

Punsch is a well-known liqueur popular in Finland, though it originated in Sweden. With an ABV of approximately 25%, punsch is a sweet and full-bodied alcoholic beverage suitable for serving warm or chilled.

Punsch first appeared in the 18th century when the Swedish East India Company introduced new ingredients from Indonesia. Its main ingredients are arrack (an Indonesian spirit distilled from coconut palm sap or rice), white rum or vodka, sugar syrup, lemon zest, and nutmeg.

Don’t confuse punsch with punch, which includes various fruit-based beverages. Suitable accompaniments for punsch include desserts or light dishes like mämmi, munkki, and kaalikääryleet.

Kilju is a Finnish homemade alcoholic beverage. Known as sugar wine in the local tongue, it’s made by adding yeast, sugar, and optional fruit juice to water and letting the mixture ferment.

Kilju boasts a colorless or off-white appearance. Depending on how low the sugar wine is fermented, its ABV ranges between 6 and 16%.

The charm of kilju lies in its affordability and ease of creation at home. Furthermore, this alcoholic beverage can be distilled to create pontikka (homemade vodka).

Since kilju is a rustic beverage, it goes well with simple dishes like ruisleipä, riisipuuro, and hernekeitto.

Vargtass is a cocktail born in the northern regions of Finland and Sweden. Its name translates to “wolf’s paw,” a nod to its vibrant character.

Vargtass blends vodka with lingonberry juice or other native berries. For extra sparkle, the Vargtass Royal version adds sparkling wine.

To complete the tangy taste of vargtass, savory main dishes like poronkäristys, mykyrokka, or siskonmakkarakeitto are ideal pairing options.

Crowmoor is a Finnish cider inspired by the traditional dry English-style cider. Since its launch in 2002, it has become one of Finland’s favorite cider brands.

Crowmoor has an ABV of 4.7% and offers a crisp, light taste. Cider and kesäkeitto make a refreshing combo on a light summer day, though kalakeitto and uudet perunat ja silli also make great pairing choices.

Happy Joe is a favored Finnish cider brand crafted by Hartwall. It was introduced in 2012 and comes with a moderate ABV of 4.7%.

I recommend accompanying this refreshing cider with light or sweet dishes like korvapuusti or karjalanpiirakka.

Battery is a Finnish energy drink famous across nearly 40 countries worldwide. Introduced by Sinebrychoff in 1997, it combines caffeine, taurine (an amino acid), and extract from guarana, a fruit native to Brazil.

Battery is a high-caffeine drink with a distinctively sweet, tangy, and slightly bitter flavor. While Finnish people usually drink it on its own, you can enjoy this energy drink with versatile dishes like ruisleipä or munkki.

TEHO is a Finnish energy drink launched in 2005 by the brewery and soft drink company Olvi. Its name translates to “efficiency” or “power” in English.

TEHO incorporates caffeine, taurine, and guarana extract. Like Battery, this energy drink can accompany easy-to-eat dishes like ruisleipä and munkki.

Trip is a Finnish juice brand from the company Marli. Making its debut in 1962, this carton juice is a hit among children with an impressive lineup of flavors such as pear, orange, raspberry, and wild strawberry.

Marli also produces Jussi, another juice brand with many flavors and mostly sold in one-liter cartons.

As a fruit juice beverage, Trip pairs beautifully with desserts or sweet dishes like munkki, raparperipiirakka, and vispipuuro.

Pommac is a Finnish carbonated soft drink that is also enjoyed in Sweden. Produced by Hartwall in Finland and Carlsberg in Sweden, this mixed fruit beverage is typically made with berries.

The production of Pommac is unlike other soft drinks, as people mature the ingredients in oak barrels like making wine. This method makes it an alcohol-free replacement for sparkling wine and champagne.

Offering a fruity taste, Pommac should go with lightly seasoned dishes like kainuun rönttönen and leipäjuusto.

Jaffa is a Finnish carbonated soft drink that is regarded as the most sought-after domestic soft drink in the country. Launched in 1949 by Hartwall, it comes in a dozen flavors, but orange is the default taste.

Casual dishes, such as makaronilaatikko or lihapullat, are ideal foods for accompanying the citrusy tang of Jaffa.

Viili is a popular fermented milk product in Finland and many other Nordic countries. Its main ingredients are milk, bacterial, and yeast culture, which create a thick and creamy texture.

A variant of yogurt, viili leans towards a mild, nutty, and cheese-like flavor. There are two main varieties: kermaviili (a rich cream-based version without milk) and piimä (a cultured buttermilk that’s thin, drinkable, and a summer favorite).

Finnish people consume viili as an enjoyable breakfast or snack, usually with ruisleipä on the side.

Garage is a Finnish alcopop (a low-alcohol mixed alcoholic drink). Its producer is the famed Sinebrychoff.

With a 4.6% ABV, Garage builds its reputation on two unique flavors: hard lemonade and hard iced tea. While this alcopop isn’t usually paired with meals, versatile dishes like ruisleipä and munkki can create a tasty combo with it.

Now that you know all about the most famous beverages in Finland, I will cover the basic features of this country’s drink beverages.