Brave Hinterland – Wild in your glass!
Northern bartenders are bravely creating a new kind of northern drink culture.
Arctic Food Lab drinks are crafted from two or more local ingredients, and each drink interprets the current theme of the year. The first theme is Brave Hinterland — flavours that move along the boundaries of light and darkness, forest and sea, tradition and fearlessness.
What Are Arctic Food Lab Mocktails and Cocktails?
Arctic Food Lab drinks showcase the unique ingredients of the northern nature in both mocktails and cocktails. Each drink contains at least two local ingredients from the Oulu2026 area — berries, herbs, conifers, ferments, sap, or other locally sourced flavours.
The northern nature and the year’s cycle are present in every drop. The brightness of summer is found in winter-preserved berries, and the depth of the polar night can be tasted as dark, smoky undertones. Each drink reflects regional identity — the courage, creativity, and distinctive spirit of the North.
These drinks are more than just beverages — each one tells a story, bringing a piece of northern soul from forest and sea into the glass. Arctic Food Lab drinks evolve with the cultural capital year’s themes, interpreted by each bar and restaurant in their own way.
All drinks are generally available as alcohol-free mocktails as well as alcoholic cocktails; specific availability depends on the bar or restaurant.
Brave Hinterland theme drinks – Selection
Loitsu Zero
Marjarannikko’s pure lingonberry juice brings the power of nature, while Kujala syrup adds the finishing touch to the berry punch.
Loitsu Zero takes you to the northern edge lightly – but just as boldly.
Local ingredients: Marjarannikko lingonberry juice and Kujala Farm cranberry syrup.
Availble at: 1Bar
Kauppurienkatu 5, Oulu
Tervahauta
Local ingredients: Kujala Farm tar syrup, Yrttiaitta blueberry-fireweed jam
Available at: Cafe Kuluma
Kauppurienkatu 5, Oulu
Hiljaisen Metsän Nimi
It stands and watches people, as it always has.
Lingonberries grow stubbornly between rocks and roots, low and unassuming. They do not strive to be beautiful – they simply are. Vanilla and cream cheese soften its roughness, but do not take away its character.
Vodka is cold, direct, and honest, like a winter morning in the yard before leaving for work.
The Hiljaisen Metsän Nimi (Name of the Silent Forest) is a drink for people who know where they come from.
It does not explain itself or seek attention.
It stays in your memory, like the forest of your childhood, where no words were spoken, but everything was understood.
Local ingredients: Lingonberry is the basic flavor of the north: sour, low-key, and persistent.
It grows among rocks and shadows, with no promises of ease. In this drink, lingonberry is left as it is—not tamed, just slightly softened. The taste is clear and cold, like a forest that doesn’t speak but remembers.
Available at: Cocktail Company
Hallituskatu 9, Oulu
Kun Aamu Ei Vielä Lupaa Mitään
They promise neither warmth nor ease – only light that comes and goes in an instant.
Rhubarb brings with it the edges of yards and old houses, while milkweed reminds us of summers that felt endless but never were. Heather grows where the soil is poor and tough. Yuzu sake accompanies us like a guest who is not from here but learns to be quiet.
This drink is the hope of the north.
Not great optimism, but a small, stubborn belief that the day will carry on—even if it doesn’t say so out loud.
Local ingredients: Rhubarb belongs in yards, on borders, and on wasteland.
It rises from the ground in spring, even when the earth is still cold. Its acidity is direct and honest—a taste that does not flatter. This drink is the northern morning: light, tart, and beautiful for a moment before the day begins to demand.
Available at: Cocktail Company
Hallituskatu 9, Oulu
Maasta Kaivetut Päivät
In swamps, in wet areas, surrounded by mosquitoes.
They are not picked for fun, but out of necessity and desire.
Red clover and dandelions are plants of the field and yard, common, underappreciated – just like the people of the north themselves. Oulu2026 gin ties everything together: juniper, earth, and cold air.
Maasta Kaivetut Päivät (Days Dug from the Earth) is a tribute to work.
To hands that were not gentle.
To days that were not written about, but on which everything was built.
Local ingredients: Cloudberries do not give themselves easily.
They grow in swamps and require time, effort, and patience. Their flavor is deep and warm, but well-earned. In this drink, cloudberries pay tribute to work and to those days that are not talked about, but on which everything is built.
Available at: Cocktail Company
Hallituskatu 9, Oulu
Blueberry Fields
Local ingredients: Blueberries used in two ways, as part of the cordial and as powder.
Available at: Ravintola Zivago
Kirkkokatu 29, Oulu
Virgin Lumière
The drink is as exquisitely flamboyant as its inspiration’s personality and appearance.
Local ingredients: Marjarannikko blueberry juice and Kujala farm’s cloudberry syrup.
Available at: Teerenpeli
Kauppurienkatu 8, Oulu
Pilpasuo Spritz
Local ingredients: Cranberry juice from Marjarannikko in Tupos and honey from Ruokapohja in Tyrnävä.
Available at: VENN
Pakkahuoneenkatu 16, Oulu
Smoke Your Own Old fashioned
At Wine Barn, we recreate this classic through smoke and nature.
Natural ingredients for smoking: applewood, herbs, a hint of the forest.
In the cocktail, whiskey meets soft smoke and depth.
In the mocktail, the ritual remains — no alcohol, same story.
Like the Northern Lights, it’s about atmosphere, not hurry.
A drink you smell before you taste.
Local ingredients: Non-alcoholic whiskey and natural forest products
Available at: Wine Barn Liminka
Kedonperäntie 30, Liminka
Perämeren Kulta
Local ingredients: Kujala farm cloudberry syrup, Marjarannikko sea buckthorn juice
Available at: Winebar Kurkela
Pikisaarentie 17, Oulu
In the north, light and darkness meet. So too can taste be bold: bright and deep, familiar and yet surprising.
The first theme: Brave Hinterland
Brave Hinterland is a world of flavors created at the intersection of contrasts. It reflects the nature of the north—life on the edge of Europe, at the boundary between light and dark, summer and winter.
In drinks, this means having the courage to play with extremes: combining flavors that at first glance do not belong together and creating something unexpected but effective. It is about trying new things and breaking boundaries in the world of flavors.
In a single sip, you can taste both the forest and the sea. A hint of acidity meets the aroma of smoke, and a sweet taste is having a kick by mineral edge. Each ingredient carries with it a story of its origin and brings a piece of northern nature to the drink. Sometimes all it takes is the courage to add something small but intense to the glass – a dash of tar syrup, a pinch of salt, or a few drops of wild herb extract – to give the drink an unexpected kick.
So step bravely to the hinterland. By tasting these flavors, you will experience unique northern flavors and stories – and ultimately, what courage tastes like.
The Brave Hinterland theme drinks are available from January 16 to April 30, 2026. Experience the theme before it changes!
Taste Brave Hinterland – find your favourite
- Discover the drinks in restaurants
- Take part in events
- Try making Arctic Food Lab drinks at home
- Follow Arctic Food Lab’s year of drinks – follow our channels
Where do the raw materials come from?
The flavors of northern nature in a glass.
Northern Finland’s nature provides raw ingredients that are used to create memorable drinks. Berries, herbs, and other natural treasures gathered from the forests and coastline of the Oulu2026 region make every cocktail and mocktail a unique story.
Below, we present some of the iconic flavors of our region – ingredients that bring drinks to life and entice you to explore the local drinking culture.
Spruce tip – northern citrus
Spruce shoots are young, light green shoots that adorn spruce trees in early summer. The best time to harvest them is short: the shoots are picked when they are still small and soft – full of spring vitality.
Fresh spruce shoots have a woodsy flavor with a hint of citrus, which is where their nickname, “northern citrus,” comes from.
Sea buckthorn – the electricity of the coastal berry
Sea buckthorn, which grows on the shores of the Bothnian Bay, is a vitamin C bomb whose sparkling acidity is sure to liven up any drink. Sea buckthorn bushes grow wild in the coastal areas of the Oulu2026 region, from Merenkurkku to Tornio. The bright orange berries are extremely nutritious – just 100 grams of sea buckthorn provides as much vitamin C as 10–20 oranges. This tart and refreshing berry has earned its reputation as a superfruit. Sea buckthorn has a strong and tangy flavor: a small amount of sea buckthorn juice or puree instantly adds spark and color to mixed drinks.
Tar – the smoky icon of the north
Oulu was once known for its tar merchants, so it’s no surprise that tar is an iconic flavor of the north. Tar, produced by slowly charring pine trees, gives drinks a deep, smoky aroma. Just a few drops are enough to change the character of a drink: the glass tastes of campfire smoke and the traditions of tar burning come to mind. A small amount, a huge story.