Atlantica - 01.03.2004, Side 32

BEERICELANDIC VODKABRENNIVÍN
Iceland is famous for selling alcohol at extor-
tionate prices. Alcohol is only sold at state
shops (watch out for those opening hours), and
we used to have a total ban on beer. Although
we claim to have the world’s purest water, it
seems that Coke has replaced it as our nation-
al drink. To help you out, here is Atlantica’s cut-
out-and-keep guide, for both alcoholic and
non-alcoholic drink varieties. AMB
H2O. – As pure as it gets. Straight from the tap. No need for the bottled kind. And best of all, unlike anything
else on this island, it’s free. BRENNIVÍN – Otherwise known as ‘Black Death’. The traditional Icelandic
schnapps. And before you refuse: It may be strong, but it’s delicately flavoured with cumin making for a deli-
cious accompaniment with foods such as herring, smoked salmon and, for the brave, putrefied shark.
MALTEXTRACT – A barely alcoholic beverage sold in supermarkets. Dark brown, malty (hence the name)
and sweet. Often mixed half and half with an orange soda called Appelsín at Christmas and Easter. Love it
or leave it. BEER – Icelandic beer that is. Three different varieties: Gull, Thule, and Viking. All of them smooth
and full of flavour. Thule was actually voted one of the world’s best beers by Danish beer experts recently.
ICELANDIC VODKA – Try Icy vodka for the ultimate Icelandic souvenir, or Eldurís, which features some
snazzy seagulls on the bottle. Failing that, Pölstar vodka, British-owned, but distilled in Iceland, has great
flavour varieties, including cucumber. GARPUR – A favourite with the editorial staff. Can be described as a
schizophrenic blend of whey and orange juice. A naff illustration of a sportsperson on the box. Delicious.
i-site❍
The Dummy’s Guide to
Icelandic Drinks
GARPUR
30 A T L A N T I C A30 A T L A N T I C A DRINKS CAR RENTAL
Avis, the car rental experts, are offering a new service in
Iceland. To make your trip to this Nordic island as easy as pie,
you can now book both car and accommodation directly on the
Internet. Choose from seven different travel packages, with
suggestions on a travel plan and accommodation for your
entire stay. Avis came up with this novelty in order to meet
increasing demand by customers, who wanted help deciding
what to do and what to see during their Iceland trip. Says man-
aging director Thórunn Reynisdóttir, “There is an ever-increas-
ing number of tourists travelling to Iceland. We at Avis believe
it’s a natural part of our service to inform our clients about a
variety of interesting travel opportunities for them to choose
from. It was necessary to present these in a user-friendly for-
mat to make the Iceland experience more interesting and
enjoyable for our clients.” The service was tested last summer
and proved extremely successful. When a client books one of
the seven packages on offer, he receives information immedi-
ately about the variety of hotels he will be staying in as well as
suggestions for a travel plan. The travel plan can of course be
changed according to the client’s own whims, but he has to
stick to the accommodation plan in the package. Naturally
clients can choose from different cars and different rates, and
Avis can come up with a unique travel package if there are any
special wishes. With Avis, you can really profit from the free-
dom of Iceland’s magnificent, wide-open landscapes. AMB
Have Car, Will Travel
Avis offers a new and complete travel service
++++
MALTEXTRACT
+
H2O
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