The can
The Finnish Long Drink, available in 6-packs ($13.89 and up, depending on the variety)
The back story
It’s the start of the big Labor Day weekend, which means many Americans will be looking for something cold, refreshing and boozy to toast the end of summer.
And naturally, many will turn to a sip with roots in…Finland.
As bizarre as that may sound, the Finnish Long Drink, a fizzy, gin-based concoction with about the same alcoholic content (5.5%) as many a beer, has become a huge seller in the U.S. And while the drink indeed has ties to the Scandinavian country, this version is actually produced for the American market. It’s even canned in places like Utica, N.Y., and Kannapolis, N.C., according to the packaging.
So, what exactly is a Finnish long drink? It’s a style of carbonated, citrus-y sip — referred to as “lonkero” in Finland — that is the most popular category of liquor in its native country.
Its history goes back to the 1952 Olympic summer games in Helsinki. The story goes that the Finnish government wanted to make sure attendees had something to drink that could fill that refreshing void and could also be served quickly. So they commissioned what became the long drink.
All well and good, but how did said drink find its way to the U.S?
Sakari Manninen, one of the founders of the American brand, was a student in the U.S. and he realized he and his fellow U.S.-based Finns missed their native sip. “We didn’t feel like there was anything quite like it on the [American] market,” he told MarketWatch. That led to him and some partners establishing their own version here and launching it in 2018.
Since then, the brand has quickly taken off. In the first year, Manninen says they sold 21,133 cases of the drink. By 2022, that figure had skyrocketed to more than one million cases. And Manninen adds they’re on track for “well over 100%” growth in 2023. The brand has also added new products, from a cranberry-flavored version to a zero-sugar one.
What we think about it
Those Finns may be on to something. These are definitely refreshing sips and much less sweet than the ready-to-drink canned cocktails (or RTDs, as they’re called in the industry) that have flooded the American market of late. I’ll admit that the original version isn’t quite my thing — it’s got a slightly bitter edge that doesn’t work for me — but the cranberry-flavored one could easily become my new summer sip. Or maybe even a year-round one, since (sigh) summer is coming to a close.
How to enjoy it
It’s a canned beverage. Just chill, then crack it open and you’re good to go. If you insist on getting fancy, pour it into a nice tall glass.
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