Żubrówka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Żubrówka | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Flavoured Vodka |
| Proof | 80 |
| Manufacturer | Polmos Białystok |
| Country of Origin | Białystok, Poland |
| Introduced | 16th century |
| Related products | Wisent |
Żubrówka (pronounced: /ʒub'rufka/ ; also known in English as Bison Grass Vodka) is a brand of dry herb-flavoured vodka distilled from rye, 80 proof. The raw rectified spirit is then mixed with a tincture made of Hierochloe odorata, often called bison grass. This grass grows in the Białowieża Forest, which is partly in Poland and partly in Belarus. A blade of this grass can be found in every bottle of genuine Żubrówka and is the reason for its particular taste, aroma, and yellowish colour. Its name comes from żubr or zubr, the Slavic word for the wisent, which are particularly fond of the herb. The flavour is quite unique, and can be described as having vanilla, coconut and almond like qualities.
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[edit] History
Żubrówka has been manufactured, in the region of the contemporary Polish-Belarusian (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) border since the 16th century, and by 18th century it was one of the favourite raw drinks of the nobility (szlachta) and the peasantry alike. In 1926 the Polish Polmos company in Brześć Litewski (now Belalco, Brest, Belarus) invented a method to mass produce Żubrówka, which was then copied by numerous companies worldwide, under a variety of brand names. The original distillery company in Brest (Belaco) still produces Brestskaya Zubrovka (Зуброўка), as do Russia (Зубровка), Lithuania (Stumbrinė), United States (Bison Vodka), Ukraine (Зубрiвка), Germany (Grasovka), the Czech Republic (Zubrovka), and many other countries. Currently the brand Żubrówka, its translations into other languages, and the grass inside a bottle of alcoholic beverage are registered by the Polmos Białystok company in Białystok, Poland.
[edit] Żubrówka in the United States
Because bison grass contains the toxic compound coumarin, which is prohibited as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration, imports of Żubrówka into the United States have been banned since 1978. When produced according to traditional methods (between one and two kilograms of grass per thousand liters of alcohol), Żubrówka contains approximately 12 milligrams of coumarin per liter. In 1999, Polish distilleries introduced reformulated US-export versions of the product, sometimes using artificial flavors and colors, always with the emblematic blade of grass in every bottle, but "neutralized" and coumarin-free.
[edit] Practices
Żubrówka is usually served pure and chilled, mixed with apple juice (a drink known in Polish as tatanka or szarlotka, which also means "apple pastry"), or over vanilla ice cream.
[edit] Trivia
Żubrówka plays a key role in Somerset Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge, where it is used to lure a young woman back into alcoholism. According to Isabella, a character in the book, "it smells of freshly mown hay and spring flowers, of thyme and lavender, and it's soft on the palate and so comfortable, it's like listening to music by moonlight."
The Kousmichoff tea company also produces a tea infused with bison grass.
[edit] External links
- Belalco — The official site of the Brest Distillery Company
- Zubrowka.net — The official site for Bison Grass Vodka
- Polmos Białystok — The official site of Polmos Białystok
- Grasovka — The official site of Grasovka
