Watch out, he's frisky!

Żubrówka – the first challenge is in pronouncing it.

I’ve consumed quite a bit of Żubrówka, and even gone as far as living in its country of origin and marrying one of the citizens. The result of this is that I know how to pronounce the name of not just this drink, but also a wide range of other Polish vodkas and beers, the problem is that when I pronounce them properly in bars in England the bar staff invariably look at me as if I’ve just landed from Mars, and I have to point to where the bottle is.

I’ve just spent far too long staring at the screen and contemplating how to write the word in English so that you would pronouce it correctly when you read it, but I have to admit defeat, I just can’t do it. For anyone who understands phonetics (I don’t), then it’s like this: ʐub’rufka

Right then, now that is out of the way, what is it?

Żubrówka is a Polish vodka distilled from rye and then mixed with a tincture made of Bison Grass (Hierochloe odorata). The herb gives the vodka a distinctive and unique taste, smell and colour. There is a stalk of this grass in every bottle, but its just a decoration and actually gives nothing at all to the drink.

The taste and smell are both fantastic, the colour slightly less so, it does however make it easy to convince naieve friends that it’s called Bison Grass Vodka because they only use grass that the Bison have peed on and that this is where the flavour comes from.

As for the taste, well it’s a little bit herbal, a little bit vanillaish, a lot vodka, and something else difficult to define. I strongly suggest that everyone (who doesn’t dislike vodka) goes and tries some though, because it’s great.

Sadly, if you live in the United States then you aren’t going to be getting the real thing though, because the FDA don’t like Coumarin, a chemical compound found in Bison Grass, so the Poles have formulated a special version just for you where the Coumarin in neutralised and you get artificial colours and flavourings in its place. It might still be great, but I’ve never tried it.

The classic ways to drink it are either neat, or mixed with apple juice.

One pub chain in the UK calls the Żubrówka and apple juice mix a ‘Frisky Bison’. I love the name, but don’t think that their version of the drink is up to much, so here is my own.

Whip up a Frisky Bison

1. Make sure that your Żubrówka is COLD. Keep it in your home freezer, the alcohol content is high enough that it won’t freeze.

2. Mix one part Żubrówka with two parts apple juice.

3. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.

4. Add a slice of fresh apple.

5. Garnish with a cinammon stick (optional, but it does make a big difference to the taste, like the celery in a bloody mary).

That’s it, sit back and enjoy, just try not to think about the bison pee.