How Finland's Iconic 'Long Drink' Got Its Name

Summertime in Finland is short and sweet, with long sunny days spent in lakeside cabins until late evening. In Helsinki, locals and visitors stroll the beautiful parks along the famed harbor, dotted with cafés and informal bars serving bites like shrimp salad sandwiches and a variety of drinks. About a decade or so ago, I was one of those visitors, wandering around the center of this beautiful city when a craving for something cold and refreshing struck me. Immediately, the bartender at the café suggested a "lonkero," or "long drink," a citrusy cocktail of gin topped with grapefruit soda, which is often used in Palomas. That day I became a fan of the simple but tasty cocktail, which is named for the tall glass in which it is served. Basically, the cocktail is made in the usual proportions of alcohol and mixer but served in an ice-filled highball glass.

The Finnish long drink is not the only one of its kind. There are many versions of long drinks, which are simple recipes that mix a spirit with a secondary ingredient in highball glasses. If you've ever had a vodka soda, a Jack and Coke, or a gin and tonic, you've already had a long drink. The Finnish long drink is as easy to make as a classic gin rickey or a citrusy spritz, and it can be made in batches to serve at a party –– just like you would a Cuba libre, for instance. Take your favorite gin, add your favorite grapefruit soda (or another citrus-based soda), and off you go. If you want to make it fancier, substitute part of the soda for fresh citrus juice and sparkling mineral water or even an inexpensive sparkling wine such as Prosecco.

The Finnish long drink is nothing new. While a ready-to-drink, canned version of the cocktail broke onto the U.S. market in 2018, the original Finnish long drink was created in 1952 for the Olympic Summer Games in Helsinki, when Finland was still recovering from World War II. The Finns, wanting to make a great impression on the rest of the world, came up with a batched gin-based cocktail that they could serve quickly. 

The drink was an innovation of its time, and it became so popular during the Olympics that the company that created it, Hartwall, continued producing it in conjunction with Alko, the Finnish government's alcohol distributor. By 1956, Hartwall's Gin Long Drink becomes the third best-selling product in Helsinki's restaurants. The rest, as they say, is history. In Finland, bars and cafés serve long drinks in the can or on draft through the summer.

Inspired by the Hartwall Original Long Drink, a group of investors, led by Finnish nationals who yearned for the taste of their beloved national drink, launched the Finnish Long Drink in the U.S. in 2018, becoming what is now the fastest-growing spirits company in the world, according to the Spirits Business. It is now available in other flavors, including cranberry and peach, and contains 5% alcohol. There is also a Strong Citrus flavor with 8.5% alcohol.