Welcome Summer Solstice The Icelandic Way

NEW YORK, June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 21, Iceland's midnight sun returns once again with Summer Solstice, and Icelanders far and near will celebrate with traditional gatherings of friends and family, bonfires and music, and the best array of Icelandic food and drinks. Whether in Iceland or the USA, one can experience a taste of this Icelandic tradition to kick off summer a little differently...and with this year's Solstice occurring on a Sunday, Reyka Vodka has worked with famed Icelandic chef, Gunnar Karl Gislason of Restaurant Dill in Reykjavik, to develop Solstice-inspired brunch dishes and cocktail recipes that bring the flavor of the celebration to life.

BRUNCH RECIPES

• Traditional smørrebrød: Reyka Vodka and dill cured salmon, DILL-skyr, pickles, horseradish, salad and bread
• Wood fired eggs: Duck eggs baked in wood fire oven, spicy sausage, cabbage in duck fat and angelica
• Fried Icelandic pancakes: Cottage cheese, sorrels, radishes and dirt smoked arctic char

COCKTAIL RECIPES

• The Clear Reyka Bloody Mary: Reyka Vodka, clear tomato jus, lemon, spices, celery, ice
• Summery Reyka Beer Float: Reyka Vodka, lime, ginger syrup, white ale
• Smokey Reyka Bay:Smoked Reyka, Birkir, bitter, lemon, egg white and sea weed dust
• Sveitabrúðkaup: Reyka, elderflower syrup, lemon, cherries, nectarines, elderflower cordial

"With Summer Solstice occurring on a Sunday, and the enthusiasm people have for Sunday brunch, I was inspired to create these Summer Solstice brunch recipes for people around the world to enjoy a taste of Iceland – our culture, our cuisine and our Reyka Vodka," shared Chef Gislason. "Enjoying a hearty meal is a great and fun tradition, and helps prepare one for the day of celebration ahead."

Chef Gislason, whose restaurant Dill, opened in Reykjavik in 2009 and has been named Iceland's "Restaurant of the Year" each year since, is renowned for his contemporary cooking that celebrates Iceland's pristine ingredients and artisanal producers. He co-authored, with Jody Eddy, NORTH: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland. More than a cookbook, NORTH is a celebration of Iceland itself – the inspiring traditions, stories and people who make the island so unique and so magical. The book boasts beautiful color photography by Evan Sung that captures Gislason's recipes and techniques, as well as the country itself. The book is currently available in the USA and around the world via Amazon.com.

"We are proud to welcome Chef Gunnar Gislason to the USA, and to share his delicious creations with our friends here as part of our Summer Solstice celebrations," remarked Trevor Schneider, Ambassador for Reyka Vodka. "Gunnar is an incredible talent, and his recipes, both for Solstice and from his NORTH book, are a perfect and unique way to celebrate the beauty of Iceland while welcoming summer."

Iceland is a magical land where fire and ice co-exist, where sprawling natural wonders meet modern marvels in art and creation, and where the darkest of winters are eclipsed by the brightest of summers. Reyka Vodka is born of this unique and inspiring country – volcanoes and glaciers, vast fields of lava rock, towering waterfalls of spring water and some of the cleanest air in the world. This terroir and the craftsmanship of the team at Iceland's first distillery, yields the unique profile and character of the award-winning Reyka Vodka, which received the coveted Vodka Trophy by the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition.  Produced in small batches, the unique character of Reyka Vodka can be attributed to the natural purity of the Icelandic spring water, the small batch Carter-Head Still, lava rock filtration, the geothermal energy (produced from the heat of volcanoes) used during the production process, and of course, the clean Icelandic air.

About Reyka Vodka (40% ABV – SRP $ 22.99)

Made by William Grant & Sons, and as unique as the land that inspires it, Reyka Vodka is the first Vodka ever distilled in Iceland and is known for its distinguishing and unique characteristics, such as its small batch production, lava rock filtration, Carter Head still distillation and use of some of the naturally purest water in the world.  These qualities have helped to elevate Reyka to high esteem since the distillery's founding in 2005.  In 2011, Reyka took home the Vodka Trophy from the International Wine & Spirits Challenge.  For more information, visit www.reyka.com.

THE COMPLETE SOLSTICE-INSPIRED RECIPES BY CHEF GUNNAR GISLASON

(Food recipes are for 6 people)

Traditional Smørrebrød | Reyka and dill cured salmon, DILL-skyr, pickles, horseradish, salad and bread

Cured Salmon
1 ½ lb salmon
½ cup chopped dill
½ cup sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup Reyka Vodka
Dill skyr

Pickles
Carrots, celeriac, parsnips
1 quart water
3 quarts vinegar
1 quart sugar
2 pine tree sprig

Water, vinegar, sugar and pine tree are combined in a pot and heated until boiling point then put in pickling jars and cooled down to room temp.

All vegetables are peeled and cooked in lightly salted water, make sure there is still a little bite in it. Then take it out of the boiling water and place it in a pickling jar filled with the pickling liquid.

Horseradish
Peel the horseradish and then grate over the whole course. More is better.

Salad
Just some of your favorite salad on top. Seasoned with some oil, vinegar and salt.

Bread
6 slices of freshly baked rye bread

Wood fired eggs | Duck egg's baked in wood fire oven, spicy sausage, cabbage in duck fat and angelica

Duck egg
2-3 duck eggs cracked in a small pan that has been coated in butter

Spicy sausage
2-3 slices of spicy sausage

Cabbage
1 ½ cups thinly sliced cabbage
¼ cup duck fat
¼ cup vinegar
Seasoned with salt

Everything folded together and put in a vacuumed store for minimum day, best after 3 weeks.

Spinach
1 cup spinach
Oil
Salt
All folded together

Pickled Angelica Stalks
½ cup angelica stalks
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Cook up vinegar and sugar and poor over finally chopped circle of angelica.

Herbs and Fresh Angelica
Make a nice salad of mixed micro greens and finely chopped angelica leaves. Season with oil and salt.

Fried Icelandic Pancakes | Cottages cheese, sorrels, radishes and dirt smoked arctic char.

Pancakes
3 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
½ cup wheat
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Salt
¼ cup butter
All mixed together in a hand blender and baked on a very specific pancake pan.

Cottage cheese salad
2 cups cottage cheese
¼ cup oil
1 cup smoked and chopped arctic char
¼ cup chopped dill
A lot of chopped sorrels
Some chopped charlotte onions

All folded together and seasoned with some salt. Then put the cottage cheese on the pancakes and wrap them up.

Radishes
Slice very thin in some ice water. Then dry on some paper season with some oil, salt and vinegar.

Sweet and Sour Dill Oil
½ cup dill
2/3 cup oil

Put in a mixer and mix until steaming hot. Put in a box and cool for 12 hours, strain.

½ cup sugar
½ cup apple vinegar

Put in a pot and heat to boiling point. Cool down.
Mix 3 part dill oil to 1 part sugar syrup

COCKTAILS

Clear Bloody Mary
6 parts clear tomato juice
2 parts Reyka vodka
2 bar spoons sriracha
2 bar spoons lemon juice
2 bar spoons soy sauce
1 bar spoon apple vinegar

All mixed in shaker with ice and then strained over celery granité.

Granité
2 cups celery juice
2/3 cup sugar syrup

Freeze

Summery Beer Float
1 part ginger syrup
1 part lime juice
1 1/2 parts Reyka vodka

Shake and put into a long drink glass over lots of ice. Garnish with lime zest and topped with white ale.

Smokey Bay
1 part smoked Reyka vodka
1 part Birkir
1 part fresh lemon juice
1 part sugar syrup
3 dashes h12 bitter
1/2 egg white

Shake ingredients only, and then shake with ice. Strain over big block of ice and top with dried and powdered seaweed.

Sveitabruðkaup
1 ½ parts Reyka Vodka
2 black cherries, each cut in half
1/2 nectarine in slices
1/2 parts lemon
1/2 parts elderflower essence

Blend Reyka Vodka, berries, fruit and lemon juice and let stand for 2 hours before serving. Strain and shake with elderflower essence. Fill up a long drink glass with the same berries and fruits, and pour in the drink. Top with elderflower cordial.

SOURCE William Grant & Sons

Related Links

http://www.reyka.com