Żubrówka
 A 700-millilitre (25 imp fl oz; 24 US fl oz) bottle of Żubrówka vodka | |
| Type | Flavored vodka |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Polmos Białystok (Poland) |
| Country of origin | Poland |
| Introduced | 16th century[1] |
| Proof (US) | 80 |
| Website | www |
Żubrówka Bison Grass Vodka (Polish pronunciation: [ʐuˈbrufka] ) is a flavored Polish vodka, which contains a bison grass blade (Hierochloe odorata) in every bottle. The Żubrówka brand name is also used on bottles of conventional vodka, labeled as Żubrówka Biała. An easy way to tell the difference is to look for the blade of grass in the bottle. The grass is sourced from the Białowieża Forest, hand-picked and dried under natural conditions.
Żubrówka ranks as the third or fourth best-selling vodka brand in the world (after Smirnoff, Absolut, and occasionally Khortytsia).[2] Żubrówka is available in more than 80 markets worldwide.
Żubrówka is manufactured at the Polmos Białystok distillery. While it is claimed that the recipe dates back as far as the 14th century, commercial production of Bison Grass Vodka first began at the distillery in 1928. The brand is owned by Central European Distribution Corporation International, which was acquired by Roust International in 2013.[3] Since 2022, it has been owned by the Maspex Group.[4][5]
Etymology and brand
In Polish, the word turówka is officially used for bison grass, while the name żubrówka has been used in folk terminology and colloquially.[6] The name comes from the term zubr (Template:Lang-pl, pronounced [ʐubr]), the word for the European bison in many Slavic languages and Baltic languages.
The brands Zubrovka and Żubrówka are registered by Sojuzplodoimport in Russia and Roust International in Poland.[7][2]
United States variant
Before 2010 Żubrówka was illegal in the United States because the grass it is made from contains coumarin which the FDA classifies as a "substances generally prohibited from direct addition or use as human food".[7][8] Since 2011 the manufacturers have made a version of Żubrówka from rye grain which aims to have a flavor similar to the original.[7][9]
Methods of consumption
Żubrówka Bison Grass Vodka is usually served chilled on its own. An alternative is mixing it with apple juice,[10] a drink known in Polish as tatanka or szarlotka (Polish for "apple cake"); known in the UK as a Frisky Bison,[11] and in the US as a Polish Kiss. It is sometimes served over vanilla ice cream,[12] and another common mixer is ginger ale.[12] A Black Bison is żubrówka mixed with blackcurrant juice. A Żubrate is mixed with a mate based lemonade, such as Club Mate.
In popular culture
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
- Żubrówka is mentioned in Moscow-Petushki, a pseudo-autobiographical postmodernist prose poem by Russian writer and satirist Venedikt Yerofeyev.[citation needed]
- In a letter dated July 31, 1892, Anton Chekhov writes to Natalia Lintvaryova: "To begin with, thanks for the Żubrówka. I drank five shots of it one after the other and found it does wonders for cholera."[citation needed]
- The bison emblem (Mylvivä härkä, "roaring bull") of Fighter Squadron 11, Lapland Air Command, Finnish Air Force, originated from the label of Polmos Żubrówka. It was introduced in 1941 as the emblem of PLeLv 46, on its Dornier 17 bombers, and later adopted by Fighter Squadron 11. Pilots of PLeLv 46 had seen the Żubrówka label while picking up Do 17 bombers from Warsaw.[13]
- Żubrówka is mentioned in a song J'ai Cru Entendre featured in Christophe Honoré's 2007 musical film Love Songs.
- Żubrówka figures prominently in the 2000 movie Suzhou River.[citation needed]
- Żubrówka is featured in W. Somerset Maugham's 1944 novel The Razor's Edge (and in the 1984 film adaptation).[citation needed]
- The name of the country Żubrówka in the 2014 movie The Grand Budapest Hotel is named after this style of vodka.[citation needed]
- Navy SEAL Chris Kyle mentions it in his 2012 book American Sniper while working with the Polish GROM.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Żubrówka - Sklep Eluxo". eluxo.pl.
- ^ a b Pawlak-Żalikowska, Maryla (14 May 2019). "Polmos Białystok zatrudnia na etaty. I wzmacnia markę Żubrówka (wideo, zdjęcia)". Kurier Poranny (in Polish). Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Żubrówka - CEDC". cedc.com.
- ^ "Polish vodka brands have returned from Russian hands". Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Polská skupina Maspex kupuje od ruské skupiny slavnou značku Żubrówka za téměř miliardu dolarů" (in Czech). Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Janka Werpachowska (15 December 2010). "Żubrówka - kultowa wódka z trawką. Powstawanie, historia, drinki". Kurier Poranny. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
- ^ a b c Michaels, Daniel (2011-01-18). "Name Your Poison: How a Banned Polish Vodka Buffaloed Its Way Into the U.S." Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21". FDA. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Fabricant, Florence (December 2010). ""Polish Vodka Arrives With a Wisp of Grass"". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Gim, Sarah (2006-07-18). "Zubrowka is bison grass vodka". Archived from the original on 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Frisky Bison Cocktail". www.cocktail.uk.com.
- ^ a b "Zubrowka Ginger Ale and ice cream". 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
- ^ "kaiken takana on tarina". virtuaalibaari.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
External links
- Roust International Archived 2022-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Official site
- CEDC Official Site
- Zubrowka at Facebook
- Zubrowka: Polish Vodka and Cultural Geographic Indicators
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