Ruby founders open distillery

The owners of Copenhagen bar Ruby have opened a new distillery in Ørslev, Denmark, which aims to ‘modernise’ the aquavit sector with its debut release.

Married couple Adeline and Rasmus Shepherd-Lomborg, who founded acclaimed bar Ruby in June 2007, have opened Mælkevejen Distillery in Ørslev, a village located south of Copenhagen. The site will include an event space that can host 150 guests and a café with a gift shop. The distillery’s team consist of an ‘eclectic mix’ of people from Denmark’s hospitality sector. The inaugural release from the distillery is Fury, a ‘spicy and herbaceous’ aquavit made with a base of caraway alongside flavours of pineapple, ginger, lime, fennel and lemongrass. EU regulations state that aquavit must be distilled with caraway or dill and have a minimum ABV of 37.5% The launch of Fury seeks to ‘modernise’ the Scandinavian spirit by taking it in a ‘tropical direction’, the distillery said. The distillery recommends serving the aquavit with tonic water, in cocktails or neat. Fury will be part of the cocktail menu at Ruby, which focuses on locally sourced ingredients. The product will be used in a new serve, called Carrot Cake. Split across two floors, Ruby is located in Copenhagen’s Old Town, within an 18th-century townhouse. Last year, we spoke to general manager Michael Hajiyianni about what makes the acclaimed venue so popular. Ruby is not the only bar delving into the aquavit category. Himkok in Oslo, Norway, distils its own aquavit and uses it as the base for serves on its menu.