Żubrówka is a brand of flavored rye vodka produced since 1928 by Polmos Białystok, the only distiller authorized to make this deeply traditional Polish spirit, which was already well documented by the sixteenth century. See vodka. The name is derived from żubr (“bison”) in recognition of the last several hundred European bison that roam Puszcza Białowieska, a primeval forest and protected UNESCO World Heritage site in northeast Poland. Żubrówka is infused with wild-harvested bison grass (Hierochloe odorata), said to be favored by the bison, and one of several sweet-scented grasses traditionally used across northern Europe in confectionery, perfumes, incense, folk medicines, and various other beverages. Like tonka beans and sweet woodruff (Waldmeister), the comparatively rare Polish bison grass contains coumarin, an aromatic benzopyrone with overtones of vanilla and newly-mown hay, found in other plants and spices such as green tea, carrots, and cassia. Until the United States Food and Drug Administration enacted a controversial ban on coumarin as a food additive in 1954, coumarin was generally recognized as safe. Because of coumarin’s supposed toxicity and blood-thinning properties, however, Polmos Białystok developed a coumarin-free version of the original spirit for the American market. Coumarin-containing grasses generally must be dried to release their aroma; each bottle of Żubrówka, whether traditional or American version, is graced with a single blade of dried bison grass. In its native Poland, this flavored vodka is often mixed with approximately two parts apple juice for a drink known as szarlotka (literally “Charlotte” but commonly rendered “apple pie”).
See also botanical and flavorings.
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Zubrowka: Polish Vodka and Cultural Geographic Indicators. http://mandalaprojects.com/giant-project/polish-vodka.htm (accessed April 9, 2021).
By: Matthew Rowley