Malt og Appelsín

Well, that's how I could describe the famous Malt og Appelsín drink. If I could encompass, in one idea, many of the things that I have tried so far in Iceland, the phrase “acquired taste” is perfect for our purposes. Malt, which means malt, is the process for preparing barley. By itself it is a drink that in its original version, is marketed by the company Ölgerðin Egils Skallagrímsson ( or Egils for the friends) since 1913. Malt has malted barley (like beer) without alcohol, with added sugar and liquorice. Back in the day, it was advertised as a healthy drink.

On the other hand, let's talk about Appelsín. If you could choose a really “refreshing” soda, you could point to this famous brand. Appelsín is an orange soda (hi Kell), in my opinion, the most delicious I've ever had. It is not very sweet, with an orange flavor, without being one of those that leaves a bitter aftertaste. Plus I have an illogical pleasure for its smooth can. This drink, from the same Egils company, was released in 1955. Both drinks have not changed their original recipe since then.

I suppose that at this point I do not have to explain that Malt og Appelsín is a drink that is made from these other two, but what I have come to tell you is the reason why this drink has relevance, especially on December dates. Malt was a drink considered a comfort, a luxury, around the 40's, for obvious reasons, I don't think it is necessary to go back to history classes. Therefore, sometimes the economy did not provide enough to be able to afford the drink for the guests and the family at dinners, so they saw fit to dilute Malt with another more accessible drink, such as soda. And this is how Appelsín and Malt began to be mixed, being the combination that was most popular, until 2004 when the company began to sell the mixture in a separate product, a version that is available all year round (although of course there is an association to drink it more during December). Now, the proportions are a controversial issue, as there are those who prefer 50/50 but, according to the brewmaster of the same company, the recommendation is 60% Malt and 40% Appelsín. According to a 2017 study, most people serve Appelsín first and 16.4% of the people interviewed prefer to serve their drink by mixing Malt og Appelsín and Coca Cola or Pepsi 🙄.

Note before posting: Watching the preview of this article, I noticed that it seems promoting the drinks in question. It seems important to mention that this text is not an advertisement ... even if it seems like it. Enjoy your drinks, like us, even if they are from certain brands ...