Zubrówka
Encyclopedia
Żubrówka ʐuˈbrufka, also known in English as Buffalo Grass Vodka or Bison Grass Vodka, is a brand of dry
, herb
-flavored vodka
that is distilled
from rye
and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume
(80 proof). Its flavor is unique and is described as having woodruff, vanilla, coconut, and almond notes.
The rye distillate is flavored with a tincture
of buffalo grass (Hierochloe odorata). This grass grows in the Białowieża Forest (which is partly in Poland and partly in Belarus) and elsewhere. A blade of buffalo grass is placed in each bottle of Żubrówka. While such piece of grass may be used mostly for decorative purposes, in mass production alcohol is infused with bulk amount of grass in order to obtain beverage's taste and yellowish color.
The name Żubrówka comes from żubr, the Polish
, Belarusian
, and Ukrainian
word for the wisent
(European bison), which is particularly fond of eating buffalo grass.
-Belarus
ian (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
) border since the 16th century, and by 18th century was one of the favorite raw drinks of the nobility (szlachta
) and the peasantry alike. In 1926 the Polish Polmos
company in Brest Litovsk
(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 Zubrowka (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.
and is mentioned also in anime series Najica Blitz Tactics
.
Zubrowka is featured in W. Somerset Maugham
's novel The Razor's Edge
.
The bison emblem (Mylvivä härkä, "roaring bull") of Lapland Air Command
, Finnish Air Force
, originates to the label of Polmos zubrovka. It was introduced in 1941 as the emblem of PLeLv 46, on its Dornier 17 bombers.
, which is prohibited as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration
, importing of Żubrówka into the United States was banned in 1978 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
.
When produced according to traditional methods (between one and two kilograms of grass per thousand litres of alcohol), Żubrówka contains approximately 12 milligrams of coumarin per litre. In 1999, distilleries that were not connected with the Polish brand introduced lower quality reformulated versions of the product, sometimes using artificial flavors and colors, with the emblematic blade of grass in every bottle but "neutralised" so as to be coumarin-free. In 2011 the American licensee of the Polish company worked with Rémy Cointreau
to introduce a new American formulation, which they called "Zu".
Żubrówka is usually served chilled and mixed with apple juice
(a drink known in Polish as tatanka or szarlotka; known in the UK as a Frisky Bison; and in the US as a Polish Kiss). It is sometimes served over vanilla
ice cream
. A Black Bison is Żubrówka mixed with black currant juice. Another common mixer
is ginger ale
.
Dryness
Dryness is a property of alcoholic beverages that describes the lack of a sweet taste. This may be due to a lack of sugars, the presence of some other taste that masks sweetness, or an underabundance of simple carbohydrates that can be converted to sugar by enzymes in the mouth...
, herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
-flavored vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
that is distilled
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
from rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
(80 proof). Its flavor is unique and is described as having woodruff, vanilla, coconut, and almond notes.
The rye distillate is flavored with a tincture
Tincture
A tincture is an alcoholic extract or solution of a non-volatile substance . To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an ethanol percentage of at least 40-60%...
of buffalo grass (Hierochloe odorata). This grass grows in the Białowieża Forest (which is partly in Poland and partly in Belarus) and elsewhere. A blade of buffalo grass is placed in each bottle of Żubrówka. While such piece of grass may be used mostly for decorative purposes, in mass production alcohol is infused with bulk amount of grass in order to obtain beverage's taste and yellowish color.
The name Żubrówka comes from żubr, the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
, and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
word for the wisent
Wisent
The wisent , Bison bonasus, also known as the European bison or European wood bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about long, not counting a tail of long, and tall. Weight typically can range from , with an occasional big...
(European bison), which is particularly fond of eating buffalo grass.
History
Żubrówka has been manufactured in the region of the contemporary PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
) border since the 16th century, and by 18th century was one of the favorite raw drinks of the nobility (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
) and the peasantry alike. In 1926 the Polish Polmos
Polmos
Polmos was a Polish state-owned monopoly, controlling the Polish market for vodka and other spirits. Founded in the late 1920s, until World War II it was one of the leading vodka producers in Poland...
company in Brest Litovsk
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
(now Belalco, Brest, Belarus) invented a method to mass produce
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
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 Zubrowka (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
Polmos Białystok
Polmos Białystok is one of the largest producers of alcoholic beverages in Poland. As of 2010, the firm's president was Henryk Wnorowski. Between 2005 and 2007 the company's stock was traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange....
company in Białystok, Poland.
Culture
Żubrówka figures prominently in the movie Suzhou RiverSuzhou River (film)
Suzhou River is a 2000 film by Lou Ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of "Sixth Generation" Chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary China's gritty urban experience...
and is mentioned also in anime series Najica Blitz Tactics
Najica Blitz Tactics
is an anime television series by Studio Fantasia. It premiered across Japan between October 4, 2001 and December 27, 2001. The show is similar to that of Agent Aika—both being directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima and animated by Studio Fantasia—with much of the same content.Though Najica was later...
.
Zubrowka is featured in W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
's novel The Razor's Edge
The Razor's Edge
The Razor’s Edge is a book by W. Somerset Maugham published in 1944. Its epigraph reads, "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard." taken from a verse in the Katha-Upanishad....
.
The bison emblem (Mylvivä härkä, "roaring bull") of Lapland Air Command
Lapland Air Command
The Lapland Air Command is the peace-time Finnish Air Force unit, responsible for the protection of the airspace of northern Finland. The headquarters of the air command is located in the present-day province of Lapland, at the airport of Rovaniemi....
, Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
, originates to the label of Polmos zubrovka. It was introduced in 1941 as the emblem of PLeLv 46, on its Dornier 17 bombers.
Żubrówka in the United States
Because bison grass contains the toxic compound coumarinCoumarin
Coumarin is a fragrant chemical compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, found in many plants, notably in high concentration in the tonka bean , vanilla grass , sweet woodruff , mullein , sweet grass , cassia cinnamon and sweet clover...
, which is prohibited as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
, importing of Żubrówka into the United States was banned in 1978 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
.
When produced according to traditional methods (between one and two kilograms of grass per thousand litres of alcohol), Żubrówka contains approximately 12 milligrams of coumarin per litre. In 1999, distilleries that were not connected with the Polish brand introduced lower quality reformulated versions of the product, sometimes using artificial flavors and colors, with the emblematic blade of grass in every bottle but "neutralised" so as to be coumarin-free. In 2011 the American licensee of the Polish company worked with Rémy Cointreau
Rémy Cointreau
Rémy Cointreau is a French alcohol manufacturer that produces cognac, liqueurs, spirits and champagne. The company is a result of a 1990-1991 merger between Rémy Martin and Cointreau.- Brands :...
to introduce a new American formulation, which they called "Zu".
Serving suggestions
Apple juice
Apple juice is a fruit juice manufactured by the maceration and pressing of apples. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove the starch and pectin, which holds fine particulate in suspension, and then pasteurized for packaging in...
(a drink known in Polish as tatanka or szarlotka; known in the UK as a Frisky Bison; and in the US as a Polish Kiss). It is sometimes served over vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
. A Black Bison is Żubrówka mixed with black currant juice. Another common mixer
Drink mixer
Drink mixers are the non-alcoholic ingredients in mixed drinks and cocktails. There are many reasons mixers are used. They change or enhance flavors or add new ones to a drink. Mixers dilute the drink, lowering the alcohol by volume in the drink. They may make the drink sweeter, more sour, or more...
is ginger ale
Ginger ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger. Dr. Thomas Cantrell, an American apothecary and surgeon, claimed to have invented ginger ale and marketed it with beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company. Grattan embossed the slogan "The Original Makers of Ginger Ale" on its bottles...
.
Żubrówka Biała
On 15 November 2010 Żubrówka Biała (White Żubrówka) was launched on the Polish market. The manufacturer claims 'this was the most effective sales launch of a vodka in the last decade". The vodka is distilled six times and uses platinum filtration which results in a very mild taste.External links
- Polmos Białystok official site
- Zubrowka.com — The official site for the Authentic Bison Grass Vodka
- Belalco — The official site of the Brest Distillery Company
- Zubrowka: Polish Vodka and Cultural Geographic Indicators