The Finnish Long Drink Legend of 1952 Episode 111

As per their website - "Long drink" is a top selling category of alcohol in Finland - a legendary taste that is now available in America.
The roots of long drinks go back to the 1952 Summer Games in Finland, when the country of only 4 million people was still recovering from World War II. Concerned with how to serve drinks quickly enough to all the visitors, the government commissioned the creation of a revolutionary new liquor drink, and so the first long drinks were born.
Now this legendary taste has finally been brought to America by the next generation of Finns who want the world to experience the refreshing and unique Finnish Long Drink.
ABV = 11%
Music:
King of Cool · Danya Vodovoz
King of Cool
℗ Danya Vodovoz
Released on: 2018-10-28
#beer #beerstagram #stout #beerreview #beerus #beertalk ​#capemay #drinklocal #craftbeer #craftbeerlover #craftbeerlover

[@tuomas.t212]

The story is true, the 5,5 % one is the best one and the most sold one here in Finland. The drink is mostly served with ice.

[@pcread]

Nah, light blue (5.5%) is too sweet. The Black (7.5 - 8.5%) gives a nice bite. Musta lonkero FTW!

[@felipesparks5267]

I fell in love with the lonkero while visiting friends in Finland during a summer holiday. I was excited to see them show up in the states. Hartwall’s original version is showing up here too. Everyone that has tried them through me has loved it.

[@Travelfast]

Pineapple lonkero is The Best!

[@oggamer735]

@@felipesparks5267My favorite drink, 🤤

[@micosan]

The colour is described as Finland in November.. We even have a day called "the grayest day of the year" which I think is a gimmic by Hartwall to sell more Long drinks (Lonkero in finnish).

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

Thats, another great nickname. Thanks for info. Cheers!

[@JarkkaKivikanta]

The latest nickname for this is "Betoni" as in "building concrete". It's all in the colour.

[@tertzi8194]

About the coloring, one of the colloquial names for Long drink (FI: Lonkero)is "betonivesi", i.e "concrete-water". Also yes, Hartwall did create the OG Long drink for the '52 olympics.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

It’s a good story. Made even better by being a true story. That’s great, “concrete water” is a great name for it. I enjoyed it. Next time on Ice.

[@Sinr0ne]

Lonkero is still my go to drink if I go for a night out, if I go to sauna, fish, summer cottage hang out and what ever. I drink the regular 5.5% and its perfect. Perfect sauna night is "Lava lonkeroa ja pari pulloa marjakossua"

[@moonliteX]

It's a cocktail made from grapefruit soda/lemonade/pop and gin. Needs to be absolutely ice cold and best served with the glass FULL of ice.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I didn’t realize this went over ice, I am going to try it iced next. Thanks for watching. Cheers.

[@miksologia]

The story is true. Greetings from Finland 🙂

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

Hello! Thanks for watching, the story is great. Thanks for the comment. Cheers.

[@TopiasSalakka]

One twist to the origin story that i've heard is that they had to scramble together a drink really fast, they couldn't just serve straight vodka to the spectators at the olympics because everyone would be absolutely hammered. Also another thing that happened during the '52 Olympics, Adidas bought the rights to the 3 stripes from a Finnish sportswear company, Karhu. Apparently the sale price was 1600€ in todays money and 2 bottles of whiskey.

[@EiraAimo]

At 1952 it was unique idea to sell ready mixed drinks. Before that it was purely selling beer or bartenders manually mixing drinks. They sold 386 525 bottles during the olympics. The second option they made for the event was mixed with brandy and Pommac, an apple-based soda. You have the special can, but tradiotionally long drink is sold in cans and bottles with striped label, as the stripes resembles running track in the olympic stadium. You can also fine-tune it or mix it yourself from grapefruit soda, add some blueberry liquer with gin or something else, and you get flavoured version. I recommend to try! But it must be served chilled, no exceptions.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I am going to try to find a traditional long drink, and if I don’t, then I am going to try the suggestions I have gotten on mixing Long Drink. Thanks for watching and the information. Cheers

[@LL-bl8hd]

I don't see this much where I live in New England, but I went to Michigan recently and it was everywhere! Seems to be very popular there.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

It is very popular in NY, but only at the big stores like Total Wine, and it is normal in the spirit section as a premixed cocktail. It is very good, and the Peach variety is very good. Thanlks for watching, Cheers.

[@Vierran]

The story is true, and ”lonkero” (officially Gin Long Drink in it’s original 5.5% variation) with a lot of ice is one of my favourite alcoholic bevereges for hot Summer days. The 5.5% is the original and could only be sold to private citizens on the Alko (Finnish alcohol monopoly) stores for a long time. Restaurants could, of course, serve it. Nowadays regulations are looser and you can buy it on the local grocery store.

[@Vihtori_Lettunen]

True story. There are dozens of variations of long drink today, cranberry, pineapple and lime to name a few, but the original is just grapefruit soda and gin with 5,5% alcohol ratio. Also it's very cultural thing in Finland. Even depressing and foggy weather in autumn is often called "lonkeron harmaa/longdrink-grey" -weather. Actually pineapple longdrink has been very popular version of longdrink for the past year or so and i remember the cranberry longdrink craze from around 2012 if i remeber correctly.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I really enjoyed the drink and the story. Cheers.

[@Finland-SkiTeam39-40]

Yep, story is true and there were 2 alternatives but this one become famous; other one was brandy based.

[@gingeryetiroadbeers]

AH you have the Strong version. I absolutely love the long drink! I think there are at least 5 different ones now. I have lots of Finnish friend and have been there many times, the story is true for the Original strong drink to the best of my knowledge. On a side note, for your gluten free friends tell them to check out Glutenberg. Its a relatively new brewery and they brew 100% gluten free beers. I have only had the stout, but I would put it against any normal stout.

[@victoreem2]

Ever seen "lonkero weather"? when its gray, wet and cold outside

[@Lundis919191]

The thing is, i as a Swede have long drink here and we have grape soda's. Long drink is expensive(something like 2.5€/2.5$), but if you mix those grape soda's that are bitter as hell with gin, the gin will cut out the bitterness. So... there you have cheap long drink.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

That is an interesting idea. Going to try it. Might even try it on the channel. If I do I will credit you with the idea. Cheers!

[@Lundis919191]

@@endofthedaybeerreview It's not an idea, its proven.. atleast from my point of view 😸 Edit: and would be awesome if you did 😸

[@MikaElf]

@@Lundis919191 Yep, that mix works well. Grape soda works well also with vodka, if you don't have gin available. Not same like gin, but close enough, if/when you are "thirsty". 😉

[@Alexandros.Mograine]

It looks like carbonated ouzo, after you add the water ofc.

[@peketee2278]

Long drink= lonkero(Finnish nickname) = tentacle in English.if you drink 8 long drinks, you can say you drank an octopus...

[@j3mixa]

I've heard of this one. Finns love to give multiple nicknames to every drink and every activity that involves alcohol 😂.

[@B1gLupu]

​@@j3mixa Finns just really like being creative with the language, and I guess we talk more when drunk xD

[@Tiax776]

It needs to be cold. If it's warm, it tastes too sweet.

[@McSlobo]

You should shine blue light into the bottom of the glass. I've never heard that concrete water but nowadays I hear it being called "harmaa" which means grey, and this word is often companied with some joke about cloudy weather. There's also other original long drink aroma which is brandy and Pommac (see wikipedia). It's has more aged and less fresh and zesty taste for obvious reasons. Don't think that's available in USA, even in Finland it's a bit forgotten.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I am going to try the blue light. Thanks for the information. I am really interested in the origins Cheers. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@Alexandros.Mograine]

Ofc the story is true. Something like that would be so easy to prove right or wrong anyways.

[@tubelious]

Unto Others 👍

[@kevinnolan2404]

I’m happy to read the replies getting behind the beverage but for someone to dig my shirt I’m super excited. Best band going!

[@ernonikkola1084]

Some people are pretty harsh towards anything but the original, but the main thing is that it must be made with gin. We have many cheap imitations available in Finland and the worst (and cheapest) ones are applewine based with just grape and gin flaworings, and yeah, those are not terrible. Many bars in Finland also serve "Talon Lonkero" (long drink of the house), which is just grapefruit soda and gin, and that often times is better than the canned version, even the original.

[@Keinapappa]

Put ice in it ffs.

[@NeonsOfTokyo]

Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas makes beers called Kukko (the Cock) some of them atleast are gluten free and pretty damn good too 👌🏻

[@jeremyroenick2202]

Unfortunately this brand doesn’t produce the drink the right way, it’s not a good representation of a proper Long Drink

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

Really, do you have any suggestions of a good long drink. I would be interested in trying one out. Thanks, cheers.

[@dodoarmy8515]

@@endofthedaybeerreview only one i know does it right is here in finland. Hartwall we like the drink that much that we export it to other countries just to go there to buy it in bulk for cheaper haha

[@jeremyroenick2202]

@@endofthedaybeerreview The only ones who have nailed the grapefruit variety is Hartwall and Maku Brewing, both Finnish breweries with no export in the States if i’m correct. In other flavor categories The Helsinki Distillery, Kyrö Distillery, Hartwall, Maku Brewing, Olvi and Laitilan makes some very nice stuff aswell. But again no distro in the states. You might be in need of a care package i think? 😉

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

@@jeremyroenick2202 maybe we can set up a trade.

[@jeremyroenick2202]

@@endofthedaybeerreview i’ll hit you up on the gram 🤝

[@tenkor9113]

Harwall orGINal its one and only good long drink.

[@DropB]

I'm Finnish and that 8,5% version is horrible. 5,5% is okay(ish).

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I thought it was pretty good actually. I am going to try all of the suggestions that are being offered because it sounds like it can be made even better. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@seppoanterostenroos794]

How can you ever compare LD to Freska? There not invented even a same planet.

[@tonimalkki6122]

The shit they have in America sucks. You have to try the original

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

I thought this was good, but I would love to try the original.

[@masterticcu]

I don't know what that is, but it isn't a long drink. Long drink is made by Hartwall and every single copy tastes like crap compared to the real thing

[@sampuke1]

Tuo on amerikkalainen versio, joittenki suomalaisten jotka on muuttanu sinne ni niitten tekemiä, voi olla hyvää en itte tiedä?

[@kaihakio8572]

Alkuperäisellä reseptillä viety jenkkeihin, eli samaa tavaraa. Sama kun vinkuisit ettei guinness ole guinnesiä kuin irlannissa.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

@@sampuke1 I thought it was pretty good. I am interesting in trying to original.

[@endofthedaybeerreview]

@@kaihakio8572 I like it, but I would like to try the original.