Żubrówka (Polish Bison Grass Vodka) Should Be in Your Mixology Arsenal

These Six Żubrówka (zhuh-BROOV-kuh) Cocktail Recipes Should Be the Only Ones You’ll Ever Need.

Three Żubrówka cocktails (from left to right: Polish Martini, Szarlotka,

Buffalo Fizz).

Sense memory, or the concept that a particular sensory stimulus can trigger a memory that, in turn, affects one’s feelings or emotional state, plays an important role in our lives, especially a memory related to the olfactory system, or, more commonly, the nose. Perhaps you encounter a waft of baking bread and are instantly transported to a dining table from a decade ago. A wave of contentment and joy courses through your body as you remember the moment you ripped apart that crusty hot loaf, the steam rising, that first bite. Perfection.

Or take for instance the other day. We decided for our anniversary to visit a museum we’d never been to before. So we headed to off to Columbus Circle to check out the Museum of Arts and Design, also known as MAD. A good amount of modern and contemporary Native North American art was on display, and as we walked into one of the galleries, a whiff of sweet hay emanating from one of the installations made us both look at each other, smile, and proclaim, “Żubrówka.”

If you haven’t yet tried Żubrówka (pronounced zhuh-BROOV-kuh), then you must try to find some immediately, which shouldn’t be too difficult these days. Available in the United States since 2007, this honey-hued Polish vodka, distilled from rye and flavored with bison grass (a distinct smelling and tasting grass that bison love to eat—there’s a blade of it in every bottle), boasts a one-of-a-kind almond–coconut–vanilla flavor that guarantees to make you want to dance the polka. You can almost hear strains of fleet-fingered accordion music in the far reaches of your brain. And once you bring a shot of Żubrówka to your lips, you’ll notice the slightly sweet, vegetal–caramel aroma. Take a sip and your suspicions are confirmed: This vodka is a delight. Any cocktail mixed with it will delight you even more.

A Polish Martini benefits from the traditional addition of Old Krupnik honey liqueur.

Poles enjoy drinking Żubrówka mixed with apple juice. Together, they create a crisp, fruity flavor that is hard to duplicate with any other liqueur. Called a Szarlotka (pronounced shar-LOAT-kuk, Polish for an apple pie–like charlotte), this sweet drink is made usually with double the amount of apple juice to bison grass vodka, and stirred in ice. Simple. (On a side note, you may have had this drink called by another moniker, Tatanka. In the Lakota Native American language, tatanka is a bison.)

Szarlotka
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
2 ounce Żubrówka (Polish bison grass vodka)
4 ounces apple juice

Method
Pour ingredients into an ice-filled double-rocks or highball glass. Stir until cold.

❤ ❤ ❤

Another of our favorite Żubrówka–apple juice drinks, mixed with Old Krupnik Polish spiced honey liqueur, is aptly called the Polish Martini. This too is a sweet drink, made sweeter by the honey liqueur. Adjust the ratios as you see fit for both drinks, but note that in their current recipes, they pair marvelously with salty and meaty foods, and also desserts.

Polish Martini
(adapted by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 ounce Żubrówka vodka (Polish bison grass vodka)
1 ounce Old Krupnik honey liqueur
1 ounce apple juice

Method
Shake in an ice-filled shaker for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add thin apple slice if desired, as garnish. (You can serve it on the rocks if you so desire, if you’re in a relaxed sipping mood.)

❤ ❤ ❤

If you’re look for something light and effervescent, but still want the taste of apples, then look no further than a Buffalo Fizz. Sparkling cider does double duty, providing both the bubbles and the apple juice flavor.

Buffalo Fizz

(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 to 1/2 ounces Żubrówka (Polish bison grass vodka)
Sparkling apple cider
ice

Method
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the bison grass vodka. Give it a little stir. Top with sparkling cider.

❤ ❤ ❤

Żubrówka mixes well with other liqueurs besides Krupnik, and especially in the Silesian Cocktail. The floral notes in this concoction, named after the area that spans the Polish–Czech border, make for a smooth, slightly sweet, slightly caramel-flavored delight. As with the Z Martini, you can pair it with pigs in a blanket. Or pair it with some fried cabbage pierogi seasoned with paprika and dill and a dollop of sour cream on the side.

Silesian Cocktail
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
2 ounces Żubrówka (Polish bison grass vodka)
3/4 ounce Jeżynówka (blackberry-flavored brandy)
1/3 ounce Becherovka (Czech spice liqueur)
lemon peel, as garnish (optional)

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add lemon twist if desired.

❤ ❤ ❤

Our advice for Żubrówka cocktails is “the colder the better.” The Z Martini is no exception to this. It tastes best at its most gelid. Before you pour, allow the ice to dissolve a bit after your initial stir. Walk away for a minute, then come back and give it another concentrated stir. For the Z Pear Martini, give the shaker a good workout before straining. A few ice shards glimmering on the top of your cocktail will certainly add appeal on many sensory levels.

Z Martini
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
2 ounces Żubrówka (Polish bison grass vodka)
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce white vermouth

Method
Stir in ice for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Z Pear Martini
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Żubrówka vodka (Polish bison grass vodka)
3/4 ounce pear puree
1 ounce white vermouth
1/2 ounce dry vermouth

Method
Shake in an ice-filled shaker for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add thin spear-shaped pear slice, as garnish.

Pairing Suggestions
Pigs in a Blanket
Pierogi
Shortbread
Spice Cookies

Pigs in a Blanket pair perfectly with a Z Martini or a Z Pear Martini.

To check out our video pairing the Z Martini with Pigs in a Blanket, click here.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Everyone Loves Punch During the Holidays (Especially the Host)

Serving punch at your holiday party will take the burden of having to play bartender to your guests. The Pomander Punch, above, tastes of cranberries and spice.

The final fifteen minutes before your guests are scheduled to arrive are always fraught with trepidation. We curse ourselves with nonstop invective. “Why the @#$% did I agree to throw this @#$%ing party. I’m such a @#$%ing idiot.” It’s at these moments, when we all turn into whining teenagers, that we must take a deep breath and rise to the occasion. You threw this cocktail party because you are awesome and your friends rock, and you wanted to share with them some cocktail and party-food pairings that will be remembered forever (and not in a bad way). So that you will be touted as the cocktail-party thrower of the century and not the sniveling spaz you seem to be playing at the moment, you must do the following: make a punch. Not the kind you imbibed as a child—those were sweet and sparkling sugar-rush inducers filled with ginger ale and neon sherbet. No, this punch will be filled with high-quality spirits and liqueurs, possibly champagne, fresh seasonal fruit, and flavors that will send you into adulthood negating any old associations with prom punch ever again. Welcome to the grownup table; you can now fold up that kiddy card table and banish it forever.

Punch is a blessing or, more appropriate, a mangala. The word itself, many believe, derives from the Hindi word panch, meaning five, alluding to the five ingredients that purportedly made up historical punch: spirits, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. But if you ask the average josephine what she thinks of when she thinks of punch in a historical context, she may describe for you a Hogarthian scene of jack-tars, slinging their flagons while singing a shanty tune honoring the drunken sailor, which isn’t at all inappropriate. Sailors brought the Hindi punch back with them to England, bedazzled by its bold flavors of spice and citrus, and from the early seventeenth to the mid nineteenth centuries, punch ruled supreme. Punch houses dotted the London landscape, filling the hearts and minds of men with merriment. Sharing a bowl was like taking communion: it brought you closer to God, if you let it.

We want punch to bring you closer to a reasonable frame of mind. With a punch at the ready, all you have to do is point your guests in the direction of the chilling bowl and say, “help yourself to a delicious glass of [fill in the blank] punch.” At first they may be surprised that no islands of lime sherbet dot this quaff, but after a sip, you’ll hear their contented sighs, and they’ll hear yours.

Here are a few punch recipes that will brighten up your party and set your mind at ease. Some of them are for 1 serving, but with a little math, you can easily create a bowl full of shimmering panch. Just remember to make a block of ice for the punch bowl (you can freeze water in a freezer-safe bowl).

Global Punch
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Jack Daniel’s
2 ounces amber (medium-bodied) rum (such as Old New Orleans or Mount Gay Eclipse)
1/2 ounce ginger liqueur (such as Domaine de Canton)
1 ounce real pomegranate grenadine
1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur (such as St-Germain)
2 ounces red grapefruit juice (you can substitute pink if red is not available)
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce lime juice
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters (you can substitute with another orange bitters)

Method
Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into chilled glass. Serves 3.

If making a bowl of punch, first make a block of ice in a freezer-safe bowl that’s smaller than the punch bowl. Then, multiply all the ingredients by eight or more depending on the size of your party. Refrigerate until chilled. About a half hour before serving, remove the ice from the bowl and place in the punch bowl. Pour the punch into the bowl. Garnish with lemon and lime wheels. Ladle into punch cups or glasses.

Try pairing with Chorizo Sobres, little deep-fried spicy smoked sausage and peach bites.

Rihanna
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 ounce amber rum (such as Old New Orleans or Mount Gay Eclipse)
1/2 ounce white rum (such as Mount Gay Silver Eclipse)
1/8 ounce Cruzan Black Strap rum
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/4 ounce Velvet Falernum
1/2 ounce simple syrup*
1/4 ounce crème de banana (such as Bols)
3/4 ounce orange juice
1/4 ounce lime juice

Method
Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into chilled glass. If you’re feeling the call of the tiki gods, garnish with cherries and banana slices poked through with a straw. Serves 1.

If making a bowl of punch, first make a block of ice in a freezer-safe bowl that’s smaller than the punch bowl. Then, multiply all the ingredients by eight or more depending on the size of your party. Refrigerate until chilled. About a half hour before serving, remove the ice from the bowl and place in the punch bowl. Pour the punch into the bowl. Garnish with cherries and banana slices. Ladle into punch cups or glasses.

* Dissolve one cup of sugar in one cup of water over low heat, stirring occasionally. When all the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat, let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a month.

Try pairing with baked coconut shrimp.

Pomander Punch
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces cranberry sauce–infused Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon Carolina Moonshine*
1 ounce bourbon (try Bulleit)
1/2 ounce clementine orange juice
1/4 ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
block of ice

Method
Shake in ice for 15 seconds. Strain into chilled glass. Garnish with a half-moon slice of clementine or a whole pericarp of star anise. Serves 1.

If making a bowl of punch, first make a block of ice in a freezer-safe bowl that’s smaller than the punch bowl. Then, multiply all the ingredients by eight or more depending on the size of your party. Refrigerate until chilled. About a half hour before serving, remove the ice from the bowl and place in the punch bowl. Pour the punch into the bowl. Garnish with clementine orange wheels and star anise pericarps. Ladle into punch cups or glasses.

* In an airtight container, add 1/3 cup homemade cranberry sauce (follow directions on package of cranberries) for every 2 cups moonshine (you can substitute vodka if moonshine is not available). Let infuse for at least five days and up to two weeks (the longer you wait, the better), shaking the container at least once a day. Strain into another airtight container and label.

Try pairing with bacon-wrapped dates.


Blackberries and cinnamon combine to create an amazing flavor sensation. This punch is boozy and bodacious. The bowl will be emptied by nightfall.

Bramble Punch
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
4 1/2 ounces amber (medium-bodied) rum (such as Old New Orleans or Mount Gay Eclipse)
3 ounces cognac (such as Martell VSOP or Hennessy VS)
1 1/2 ounces Jeżynówka (blackberry-flavored brandy)
3/4 ounces Becherovka (Czech spice liqueur)
1 1/2 ounces cinnamon-infused black tea*
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 ounces tangerine juice
1 1/2 ounces pink grapefruit juice
ice cubes, preferably in a chunk, or a block with blackberries frozen within.

Method
Add all the ingredients (except the chunk of ice cubes) into a large shaker or capped bottle. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, making sure the sugar dissolves (if you prefer, you can dissolve the sugar in a little water before adding it to the mix). Place ice chunk or ice block in bowl. Pour punch into bowl. If using a chunk of ice cubes, the ice cubes will start to break apart. When they do, or if you are using a block of ice, stir the punch with the ladle to chill, wait a minute (do not rush, let the ice dissolve a bit), stir again, and serve. Add a blackberry to each cup for a nice sweet-tart surprise at the end of your drink.

Serves 4. You can easily double or triple the recipe.

* Steep a tea bag (with black tea) and a cinnamon stick in 1 cup of boiling water. Remove the tea bag after 3 hours. Remove cinnamon stick after 3 days. If you can’t wait 3 days, then make sure you shake it well before using.

Try pairing with Cheddar Blue Fricos, lacy and crispy wafers of cheese.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz

Mixology Monday XLV: Teas, If You Please

Bramble Punch marries the flavors of blackberries and cinnamon.

According to tippler folklore, teas played an important role in the history of the cocktail. Many believe that they were one of five ingredients required to make a proper punch, the other four being spirits, sugar, juice, and water. These same people also believe that the word punch is derived from the Hindu word for five (panch is an approximation), so you see how this led the believers (we will call them Panchophiles) to claim that punches should be made with five ingredients. We will accept as gospel the claims of the Panchophiles for the sake of this Mixology Monday post, hosted by Cocktail Virgin Slut. This dual-natured cocktail aficionado has proposed that we all make a drink with tea as an ingredient. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, we share with you our love of communal bowls filled with redolent, spirituous delights, by making you a Bramble Punch.

Bramble Punch lauds the marriage of two bold flavors, blackberries and cinnamon, and highlights the five main elements of Punch (this would please the Panchophiles). First, cognac and a medium-bodied rum give this punch its punch, plus the addition of two more spirits—Jeżynówka, a Polish blackberry-flavored brandy, and Becherovka, a Czech herb-and-spice liqueur. Second, sweetness gets a boost from some rich maple syrup and dark brown sugar. Third, two juices, pink grapefruit and tangerine, unite to tame the heat and bold flavors of the spirits and liqueurs. Fourth, black tea infused with cassia-cinnamon enhances the melding of the flavors, and offers its own unique flavor. Fifth, ice, as it melts, adds the necessary water to make this drink smoother so you can enjoy sipping it as soon as its placed in your hands.

Bramble Punch
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
4 1/2 oz. amber (medium-bodied) rum (such as Old New Orleans or Mount Gay Eclipse)
3 oz. cognac (such as as Martell VSOP or Hennessy VS)
1 1/2 oz. Jeżynówka (blackberry-flavored brandy)
3/4 oz. Becherovka (Czech spice liqueur)
1 1/2 oz. cinnamon-infused black tea*
1/2 T. maple syrup
1 T. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 oz. tangerine juice
1 1/2 oz. pink grapefruit juice
ice cubes, preferably in a chunk, or a block with blackberries frozen within.

* Steep a tea bag (with black tea) and a cinnamon stick in 1 cup of boiling water. Remove the tea bag after 3 hours. Remove cinnamon stick after 3 days. If you can’t wait 3 days, then make sure you shake it well before using.

Method
Add all the ingredients (except the chunk of ice cubes) into a large shaker or capped bottle. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, making sure the sugar dissolves (if you prefer, you can dissolve the sugar in a little water before adding it to the mix). Place ice chunk or ice block in bowl. Pour punch into bowl. If using a chunk of ice cubes, the ice cubes will start to break apart. When they do, or if you are using a block of ice, stir the punch with the ladle to chill, wait a minute (do not rush, let the ice dissolve a bit), stir again, and serve. Add a blackberry to each cup for a nice sweet-tart surprise at the end of your drink.

Serves 4.

photos © Steve Schul, Cocktail Buzz