Boosted by a flight of new boutique wine bars, Budapest has become a hot destination to drink fine vintages. In fresh, contemporary surrounds that befits the capital of a wine-producing country, oenophiles and wine novices alike are settling in at the bar and taking a tasting tour of the local pour.

by Anna J. Kutor

DiVino

Just step from the grand Basilica, DiVino positions itself as evangelist for high-end Hungarian
vino, but it is equally valued for its high-style design and see-and-be-seen
atmosphere. Urban professionals and discerning creative types fill the
cutting-edge space for an after-hours glass of vino, choosing from a 50-strong
menu of outstanding local producers. To satisfy all
spectrum of wine lovers, DiVino holds courses for an in-depth education in wine
and takes fine vintages to festival goers with a mobile Caravan.

Andante Borpatika

An elegant, traditionally minded vino spot near the Chain Bridge on the Buda side pairs
top-quality local vintages with delectable bites and dazzling views of the
Danube. From Villány to Tokaj and Szekszárd, all regions of Hungary make an
appearance on the ever-expanding wine menu that is curated by sommelier and
co-owner Zsolt Tiffán.

Dobló Wine Bar

With its smart yet casual atmosphere and brickwork decor spruced up with contemporary flair, Dobló
is the quintessential wine bar that demanding epicureans dream of discovering
while visiting Budapest. This is where everyone in the trendy Jewish district gathers for bacchanalian carousing as well as regular wine programs and themed tastings. The wine list, assembled by owner
David Popovics, is almost exclusively focus on homegrown organic labels, with
over 60 available by the glass, and there are exciting finds like Merfelsz from
Szekszárd, and Janus’ Örömbor from Villány.

vinoWonka

Tucked away on a quiet stretch just off bustling Ráday Street, this vino-and-chocolate institution
has all the bases covered to ensure a romantic evening: warm lighting, dark
wood furniture and hues of passionate red and a wealth of seductive flavors.
There are artisanal treats from seven Hungarian chocolatiers and 25
by-the-glass local wine options, with the best pairings chalked up on the
blackboard behind the bar.

Amber, the precious fossilised tree resin known as ‘Baltic
Gold’ or ‘Gold of the North’, has played a vital role in Poland’s history: from
the country’s economic trade and its folklore, to being used in jewellery and
contemporary decorative arts and fashion.

by Anna J. Kutor

Mystery, magic, glamour and the quest for the golden grail…these aspects have all fueled the
flame for humankind’s age-old search and love for amber. From ancient
times, this organic gem was prized by Greeks and Romans as ‘petrified
sunlight’, as they believed it to possess the warming, healing and
life-giving powers of the sun. According to Greek mythology, amber
originated from the tears shed by the Heliades sisters (daughters of
Helios, the Sun God) over the death of their brother Phaethon, who fell
to earth with his horse-drawn sun chariot. The weeping sisters
transformed into poplar trees on the bank of the Eridanus River, and
their tears became ‘glistening drops of amber’.

Wide Variation

The word ‘amber’ has long applied mainly to the fossilized tree sap found
the the Baltic and North Sea regions, although larger deposits of this
soft gem – ranging from 20 to 120 million years old – have also been
discovered in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Lebanon, Siberia, Burma,
China, Italy and Romania. Amber that is less than 10 million years old
and has not gone through the complete fossil evolution is called copal, a white-colored stone that is found predominantly in Columbia, New
Zealand and some African countries.

In Poland, amber most frequently washes up on the shore line after a large
storm. The waves drive amber-trapped seaweed onto the beaches where
amber collectors can easily scoop them up in the tide line. It’s found
in a luscious array of hues – with over 256 identified color varieties
worldwide – ranging from shades of yellows and browns to greens and
reds. The most expensive and scarcest ‘cherry’ amber is a deep purple,
while the classic Baltic amber is usually called ‘cognac’ or ‘honey’,
but there’s also amber in green, brown and bone-white – created by
microscopic gas bubbles – found in the Baltic region. This mineral is
not only valued for its color palette, but also for its degree of
transparency that can vary from clear to cloudy, and its cleanliness.
The clear and translucent versions range from light yellow to dark
maroonish yellow, while cloudy types (filled with tiny air bubbles) come
in all colors and can range from semi-transparent to opaque.The
chemical composition of amber also determines its quality, value and
and use. The active ingredient in Baltic amber is succinic acid that is
present in a range from three to eight percent (the highest level in any
amber found around the globe); the acid, which is a medical substance,
was discovered by German Nobel-prize winning scientist Robert Koch in
1886. Koch was the first to confirm that amber’s succinic acid has a
positive influence on the human organism, from improving immunity to
balancing acid levels and strengthening the body. Other than its
dazzling range of colors, amber is also a remarkable material that
delineates evolutionary history with a variety of once-living inclusions
preserved in the amber itself. In other words, each piece of amber
tells a unique story, since the gem trapped insects, flowers, leaves,
moss, pine needles, flies, beetles, ants, spiders and even lizards
millions of years ago when the oozing resin was still viscid. Scientists
have been able to identify 3,000 species of prehistoric insects and
over 214 plant types in amber, varying in size from a few millimeters to
four centimeters. The visibility, size, rarity, placement and
scientific value of the inclusion all determine the value of an
individual piece of amber.

Peculiar Powers

Amber’s beauty, ease of processing and mysterious powers made it a sought-after
stone for decoration and ornamental goods for primitive inhabitants of
the Baltic Sea region. Archaeological evidence shows that the use of
amber dates back to 35-45,000 years ago, when the stones were tooled
into precious talismans and pendants for protection against dangers
during hunting journeys. Depending on various cults, some amulets were
crafted in the form of sun-like round discs decorated with dots and
other geometrical shapes, while others were shaped to look like animals,
deities and hero figures. The ancient Romans also believed in the
protective powers of amber, using it to decorate the gladiator arena as
well as burying their dead with a piece of amber to ward of evil spirits
in the afterlife.

Throughout the centuries, Baltic amber has also been said to possess medicinal
properties. When worn on the skin, this ‘healing stone’ releases healing
oils believed to have calming, healing and uplifting effects. Its
tension-relieving effects have long been used in European cultures to
help children with teething pain. Beyond pain palliating, folk medicine utilized amber as a remedy for swollen glands, fever, goiters and different liver and kidney illnesses. Ground amber powder mixed with
honey was used against unclear vision, amber powder dissolved in water
cured sore throats and crouching over the smoke of burning amber was
believe to heal hemorrhoids. Some even thought it could cure depression,
nervousness and curb suicidal tendencies. Later, through the 17th and
18th centuries, doctors recommended amber remedies for patients suffering
from lung, heart and rheumatic diseases and skin disorders. Today,
homeopathic pharmacies in Poland still sell a variety of amber ointments
and powders that help against arthritis, neuralgic pains - and even
hangovers.

New Age practitioners believe amber opens and charges the third chakra, the
so-called ‘solar plexus’. On a physical level, the warm mineral imbues
the body with the power of the sun and by soaking up negative energy and
sending it upwards, moods are balanced and mental clarity provided.
It’s also believed that when worn near a chakra center, amber instills
intellectual focus.

Photo courtesy of Ambertop Gallery

Trade Trail

As soon as this non-precious stone starting washing up on the shores of
Northern European countries (including territories of present-day
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden), it
became a prized possession that brought faraway nations into contact
with one another. Tradeways between East and West were established as
early as the second millennium B.C. during the so called ‘New Stone
Age’. By about 1500 B.C. the network of roads and waterways in eastern
and central Europe had linked together to create the ‘Amber Road’. This
ancient amber trade route ran from the Baltic Sea, down the Vistula,
Elbe and Danube River all the way through Italy, Greece, the Black Sea
and Egypt, and connected with the Silk Road that led to obscure Asian
areas. Intensive trade in amber continued throughout reign of the Roman
Empire until the third century A.D., when ongoing wars shattered the
trade route. Poland and the Baltic region eventually came under the
control of the Order of the Knights of the Cross (a.k.a. The Teutonic
Knights) in 1264 and they took absolute control over the manufacturing
and trading of amber.

By order of the Knights, all amber had to be given to the appointed
official of a given region, and anyone caught trying to hide or steal
the stone would be sentenced to death. Amber trade saw a resurgence in
Poland after the Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated the Teutonic Order in
1410’s Battle of Grunwald. The ageold amber-bearing city of Gdańsk was
incorporated into the country in 1466 and the first amber craftsman’s
guild was established in 1477. Other historically important amber guilds
in Poland were founded in the coastal cities of Elbląg, Kołobrzeg,
Koszalin and Słupsk. With the rapid development of amber guilds,
specialists and goldsmiths re-established connections with the historic
trade partners and forged contemporary channels of commerce.

Gdańsk: Amber Capital

Bound with the inexhaustible treasure of the Baltic Sea, Gdańsk became the center of amber craft as early as the 15th century. Following the downfall of the Teutonic Knights, guilds and craft organizations
multiplied in numbers and artistic amber craft developed rapidly in the
town. By the 16th and 17th centuries, with the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth in its strongest phase, amber crafting had reached an apex
of creative development and prestige, turning from use in mainly
devotional items to ordinary objects and lavish objects d’art. Amber
craftsmen in both Gdańsk and Königsberg (modern-day Kaliningrad) used
amber to make an assortment of kitchen utensils (glasses, bottles and
cutlery), frames, candlesticks, boxes, chessboards and interior design
trinkets for nobility, clergymen and other well-to-do citizens. Special
one-off amber artefacts were also given as gifts in diplomacy for
European rulers, religious figures and celebrities. Anna Jagiellon, the
Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania during the second half of
the 16th century, for example, received a heart-shaped pendant with the
portrait of Hungarian King Stefan Bathory, made by a Gdańsk-based amber
master.

Political turmoil and economic hardship saw the beginning of the backsliding in
the ‘heyday of amber craft’ during the mid-18th century. The two world
wars effectively wiped out the Polish and European amber craft,
destroying every single amber workshop in Gdańsk. While the 1960s and
1970s spurred a resurgence of amber trade and affairs, it wasn’t until
the collapse of the Communist system in 1989 that the new era of the
business of amber really began. Today, the city boasts hundreds of amber
shops, studios and galleries – several of which are stationed on a
narrow, cobble-stone Mariacka Street – showcasing hand-made necklaces,
rings, bracelets, brooches, earrings, colliers, rosaries, key chains and
carvings. At present, local amber craftsmen are hard at work designing
and building a 120 m2 amber alter in the city’s St. Bridget church,
which will incorporate over six tons of the golden stone.

The city has also become a respected center of amber-related scientific
research, with the main offices of the International Association of
Amber Masters and the National Amber Chamber of Commerce both based in
Gdańsk. Moreover, the city’s main university features the world’s first
and only Department of Amber.

Polish chefs are going back to their culinary roots

by Anna J. Kutor

Poland’s gastronomic reputation has traditionally rested on heavy home-spun meals made with meat, cabbage and potato. In other words, good old-fashioned comfort food, such as pierogi (dumplings),
bigos (cabbage and meat stew) and golonka (pork knuckle). But recently, a new
generation of chefs have takend the first steps to rid the country of its
stodgy food reputation, reinterpreting the country’s classic recipes to create
lighter, healthier dishes. And what do you call Polish cooking with
21st-century mojo? MoPo, Modern Polish cuisine.

The MoPo chefs are now using regional, organic produce, such as river
and Baltic fish, mushrooms, forest fruits, sunflower and pumpkin oils and herbs
like bison grass, celery and parsley in healthier ways. Rather than using high
heat, they’re cooking them more slowly in lower temperatures to retain the
flavor and nutrients. They’re serving lighter sauces and meals made with
minimal oils, in smaller portions.

“Poland
now has accessible good-quality local products and a growing number of
open-minded chefs,” says Kurt Sheller, one of the MoPo movement’s gurus. Known
for his wild walrus moustache and short-tempered perfectionism, since 1993
Swiss-born Sheller honed his maverick cooking skills at Warsaw’s
top restaurants, such as those at the Bristol,
Sheraton and Rialto Hotels. He launched Poland’s first cooking academy in
2002, helped raised the status of cooking and collaborated and taught many of
his current MoPo colleagues. “After a long fascination with foreign foods, the
climate is right for a bold new style of local cooking that celebrates the
individuality of Polish food,” he says.

The MoPo food-fad is now spreading across Poland. Exponents include
celebrity restaurateur Magda Gessler, Paweł
Oszczyk of Le Regina, Karol Okraza of Malinowa Restaurant at the Bristol
Hotel, Wojciech Modest Amaro of The
Polish Business Roundtable Club all stationed in Warsaw
and Adam Chrząstowski of Ancora in Krakow.
Regional cooking competitions also feature lots of under-the-radar talent,
where chefs design contemporary MoPo concoctions that promptly disappear fade or
are only found in roadside restaurants, like Karczma Jana in Olsztyn and The Palace Restaurant in Stare
Jabłonki both in the northern Mazury Lake District.

Going back to our roots

Poland’s native culinary heritage was ground down during the 20th century. First the
country’s historic fusion kitchen – influenced by culinary traditions of
occupying nations such as France, Italy, Germany and Russia – was repressed by Communist-era
scarcity of ingredients that inspired only humdrum cooking. Then, after the
fall of Communism, the country’s diners and chefs were eager to embrace Western
fast-food and exotic Japanese and Chinese cuisines. It’s with a new wave of
patriotic pride, then, that MoPo chefs are going back to Poland’s
gastronomic roots for inspiration in creating Polish haute cuisine.  

Chef Adam Chrząstowski opened Krakow’s first MoPo-focused venue, Ancora Restaurant, in 2008. “The spirit of going back to our roots, to re-discover a real Polish sense of cooking and taste, is now
very popular,” says Chrząstowski. “But it’s going to take some time until old
eating habits die out, and people really start to appreciate chefs as more than
just cooks.”

Chrząstowski takes standard Polish food staples and blends them with
new-age flourishes. His restaurant serves venison tenderloin with grape-and-onion
marmalade, duck breast with ginger and blackcurrant sauce. Catfish filet is
baked with boletus crust, salmon trout is slowly stewed at a low temperature of
below 130 °C and served with tomato-garlic confiture and potato
soufflé. For presentation, Chrząstowski makes towers on the plate out of layers
of food and paints this with light sauces: game meats come with blueberry
sauce, fish dishes with sauce based on bison grass.

Ahead of the Bunch

Karol Okrasa dishes up some of Warsaw’s
most innovative dishes at Malinowa Restaurant in the Bristol Hotel. The
31-year-old gastro-entrepreneur cross-pollinated long overlooked local
ingredients with new cooking techniques and a hint of Mediterranean
influence.

“Every meal on our menu is crafted in a completely different way, either by special seasoning or by using
previously unexploited grouping of ingredients, so that it doesn’t look or
smell traditional at all,” he says sitting in the well-appointed lounging area
of the Bristol Hotel, in a break from preparing a feast for a closed evening
event. The restaurant next door, decked in burgundy-white color combinations
in the antique furniture and tapestry, buzzes with lunching businessmen. “But
from the very first bite you can tell that it’s characteristically Polish.”

On this winter’s menu is a soup made from chanterelle mushroom concentrate and truffle oil, served with
small cabbage leaves stuffed with veil and chestnut pulp flavored by aromatic
bison-grass. Other seasonal specials include creamy pumpkin soup with baked
cheese dumplings; freshly smoked pigeon breast with zucchini pancake and a
juniper berry sauce; and seared sturgeon filet gratinated with Zubrowka grass
sabayon, served with potato dumplings colored green from parsley, and a
sweet-and-sour blue cheese and roasted apple sauce.

Another aficionado of traditional-modern is Wojciech Modest Amaro, of
the members-only Polish Business Roundtable Club, housed in the swanky Sobański Palace.
Returning to Poland in 2002 after a nine year gastronomic journey through England,
Germany and the USA, Amaro brings a multicultural angle to routine recipes.  

“It’s about being open to inventive techniques without forgetting the
classics,” Amaro says, talking about his signature style of cooking – dubbed
Modest Cuisine, after his middle name and his direct gimmick-free method of
cooking. He deconstructs old recipes and re-assembles them using ideas taken
from fashionable food trends such as molecular gastronomy and Modern Spanish
cuisine.

In his newest dish, a reinvention of Polish chowder, Amaro adds caviar into the bread
ferment, creates a clear consommé using five types of meat bones, and substitutes
white sausage with confit of duck and boletus with black trumpet mushrooms and
adds small ravioli-like pockets stuffed with roasted garlic purée.

Epicurean Empire

Perhaps more influential than anyone else in creating MoPo is Magda
Gessler. Defined by curly blonde hair and culinary vision, Poland’s preeminent restaurateur has designed the interiors and menus of 22 top-class dining establishments in the last two decades. Her latest
ambitious undertaking, Gar, meaning “pot” and referring to the dish that all
meals are served in, opened in 2008 on the corner of ulica Sienkiewicza and
ulica Jasna in downtown Warsaw and features French-Polish fusion menu that
highlights the origins of each ingredients. You have like smoked oscypek (smoked
highlander cheese) from the southern Tatra mountains, carp and organic
vegetables from southeastern region near Lublin, and fruit honey from the Kurpie
region in north-east Poland.

Ale Gloria, tucked underneath a grandiose art-deco building in downtown Warsaw, is a prominent
part of Gessler’s kitchen-kingdom. The grandiose rooms are decked with
strawberries and white feathers, which provide an ideal backdrop for the
seasonally driven MoPo menu. Showcase dishes – compiled by Gessler and
executive chef Marcin Chojecki – exhibit big contrasts in flavors: red borscht
soup comes with raspberry vinegar and blackcurrant syrup; dumplings made of celery
root are filled with boletus mushroom in a veal broth; and duck breasts are
served in a rose sauce and with a spicy strawberry salad.

“The refined palate of Poles is driving the demand for experimental yet
familiar flavors that soar with artistic touches,” says Gessler. “MoPo’s
moment in the culinary limelight has arrived.”

It used to be that vodka, the fierce clean alcohol, was thought of
as a drink so rough it would start with an innocent tingle in the back
of the throat and quickly build into a bitter, slow-burning inferno deep
down in the belly. This international image of a cheap, gut-burning and
brain-blasting booze, however, is long out of day, as today’s vodka
producers in Poland and other countries bring the palate a smooth and
sophisticated reinvention of the strong stuff. These days, vodka is
heralding a new realm of luxury as consumers and connoisseurs all around
the world are beginning to savor the unique quality, character and flavor of the distinctive Polish drink.

Polish or Russian?

Vodka isn’t only embedded in Polish national identity because some countrymen like to swill a
quick shot morning, noon and night, but because its origins are rooted
in Poland. Yes, that’s right: Poland is the birthplace of vodka. Or so
the Poles say. Despite Poland and Russia claiming the ‘invention’ of the
spirit for themselves, historically, the genesis of the colorless
liquor made from various grains such as barley, rye, or corn, is
shrouded in mystery.

What is known is that the pure version of the clean spirit, containing 100% alcohol, made its
way from the Arabs or the Italians (who called it aqua vitae, ‘the water
of life’) around the 9th century. It was credited at the
time with powerful medical assets, being an effective antiseptic and
trusty anesthetic potion, as well as a reliable fluid for cleaning
cutlery and jewellery and curing foot odor. With the advent of
distilling technology, sometime in the beginning of the 15th
century, aqua vitae was purified to create a softer version suitable
for consumption. The problem is that the Poles lay claim to first using
the distilling process, while the Russians believe it was their big
eureka-idea to take the edge off the vile spirit. Historians have no
hard evidence to prove either country right or wrong, so for now, the
truth is still out there. 

In Poland, the first viable record of vodka appeared in 1405,
in the small royal town of Sandomierz. Grain-based vodka production
began in small quantities on a city-by-city basis, but by the end of the
16th century, the nation’s taste for the spirit was
well-whetted. With the heartfelt endorsement of King Jan Olbrach, the
distillery process started up on a vast scale, especially in and around
the southern Polish city of Kraków and the Silesian town of Poznań,
which had a total of 498 functioning ‘spirit boilers’ by 1580. Vodka
production soon became a high-profit venture which not only led to the
country’s first taxing fees ‘for cooking spirits in the villages’ but
also large-scale exports to Denmark, Germany, England, Austria, Hungary,
Ukraine and the Netherlands.

Poland continued to be swept by vodka-fever in the following centuries as technological
advances allowed the creation of higher purity and higher alcohol
content through multiple distillations, and potatoes superseded grains
like rye , making vodka production even more profitable. The
Soviet-inflicted prohibition-like period of the late-20th
century led to the creations of several moonshine alcohols, but vodka
remained a national staple. Today, vodka still reigns supreme on the
local liquor landscape, accounting for over 90% of the spirits market
consumption. Aside from Russians and other Central European countries, Poles knock back the most vodka in the world: over 260 million liters each year. In a nation of 38 million, that’s a little over 10 liters per person of legal age.

Booze Battle

Vodka was late in leaving Eastern Europe and Northern Europe: the vodka phenomenon spread like wildfire
across the Western world, first entering the massive American market in
the 1940s, through the astute marketing of the once Russian, now
British-owned Smirnoff brand. As a colorless and odorless drink
(advertised by Smirnoff as ‘White Whiskey – No taste. No smell’), vodka
first became popular for its neutral flavor and good mixer properties,
playing well with virtually every available alcohol and juice. By the
60s and 70s the Western vodka-drinking culture, led by the
ever-increasing cocktail craze, fueled the demand for affordable,
medium- to low-quality, vodka brands.

Jumping on the lucrative bandwagon, liquor producing companies across Europe
began flooding the market with new varieties of tasteless, mediocre
vodkas. This commercialization of the spirit inevitably led to the
so-called ‘European Vodka Wars’ of 2006, in which traditional
vodka-making countries – such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Finland,
Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Estonia - requested that the European
Union to make a clear-cut definition of which hard liquors could
actually be called ‘vodka’. These ‘vodka purist’ nations wanted a
definition that would limit the ‘vodka’ brand to an ‘alcoholic beverage
derived from cereals or potatoes’, while the ‘vodka liberalizers’ (a
group that included France, Austria, Great Britain and the Netherlands)
fought for a more liberal definition, which took in ingredients such as
beets, grapes, citrus fruits and molasses. A serious blow to vodka
purists, the EU ruling stated that vodka can be made from any ingredient, as long as the bottle clearly labels all elements used.

Pure and Powerful

Not to be left behind or threatened by the ever-growing vodka market, established Polish
favourites such as Belvedere, Chopin and Wyborowa made the conscious
decision to redefine their local and international images as authentic,
elegant and luxurious brands with an age-old heritage; their aim was to
not be confused with brands they thought of as cheap vodka imitators –
they determined to be seen as the ‘real thing’. Entering the American
market in 1996, Millenium Import LLC introduced Belvedere rye
vodka as a premium luxury product (costing twice as much as other
upmarket brands), which created a new standard of sophistication and
excellence in the luxury vodka segment. The next year, Belvedere’s
success was followed by the introduction of Polmos Siedlce’s
potato-based Chopin vodka, that captured the essence and spirit
of renowned Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Both Belvedere and Chopin
vodkas are distilled four times to remove all impurities and are praised
for their complex taste and texture, individual smoothness and sleek,
frosted packaging. By showing the spirit’s stylish and swankier side,
these brands not only spearheaded the premium vodka category (the
fastest growing segment of the hard liquor market), but also
reestablished the prestige of Polish vodkas.

Another Polish brand focused on changing the ‘lowbrow’ reputation of Polish
vodkas is Wyborowa (literally ‘exquisite’), a pure single-ingredient
vodka, distilled from the rye grain grown in the small Polish village of
Turew. The brand’s latest Europe-wide advertisement campaign highlights
the spirit’s Polish origins, declaring that “the facts are incontrovertible. The authentic vodka comes from Poland and is called Wodka. There is no V in Wodka. May the truth preWail!”. The
advertisements’ cheeky, finger-pointing style compliments the brand’s
playful taste profile, one that is well-rounded but still extremely
smooth, strong but not overpowering. Wyborowa is also leading the
rapidly expanding flavored vodka segments, turning out upscale
infusions boasting flavors such as pineapple, rose, almond, peach,
orange and apple. Other brands meeting the highest super-premium standards include the quadruple distilled Sobieski Vodka (named after Polish King Jan III Sobieksi), the cereal-based Królewska Vodka (produced by hulking distillers, Polmos Zielona Gora) and the luxury potato-based Luksusowa Vodka.

Neat or Naughty

Traditionally, the most enjoyable way to drink vodka is neat and chilled, chasing the shot with sour
cucumbers, salty herring, or pickled mushrooms. It can be both a potent
aperitif and a helpful digestive, or just a soul-warming drink when the
cold is biting and the days are long. But in the past two decades, the
changing tastes and preferences of Polish consumers – triggered by the
bar and cocktail culture increasingly attracting a younger, female
audience - have pushed Polish producers to tone down the ‘hard liquor’
image by introducing new concepts such as fruit-flavored vodkas and
pre-mixed drinks such as Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice. As cocktail
artistry and culture become more and more mainstream in Poland’s urban
centers, bar and restaurant owners throughout the country are eager to
cash in on the trend by experimenting with creative vodka-based
concoctions. But, with the vodka competition heating up and modern
distilling methods developing and improving both the quality and style
of vodkas, Polish producers are hard-pressed to show new ways of
connecting with the ever-widening crowds of vodka enthusiast and
connoisseurs.

Familiarize yourself with some of Poland’s best vodkas, all of which are available in the UK.
Grab a Pole and ask them about the role of vodka at Polish weddings:
it’s quite an education!

Sobieski

A highbrow brand catering to mainstream drinkers, Sobieski vodka blends
authenticity with modernity and proves that vodka can indeed be sophisticated.
This delicate vodka is made from golden Dankowski rye grains in the Mazowse
fields located around the central part of Poland. As are most Polish vodkas,
it’s best consumed straight out of the freezer, but its softness and subtlety
is an ideal cocktail base for drinkers with a more sensitive palate.

Goldwasser

This stalwart of the vodka community, distilled in the Baltic seaside city of Gdańsk
since the 16th century, raises eyebrows at first sight, as
twenty-three carat gold flakes float inside the potent liquor. The spirit was
created by Dutch immigrant Ambrose Vermollen by combining over twenty herbs and
roots (including cinnamon, lavender, cardamom and thyme) and laced it with
golden lucky-charm leaves. Enjoy this elixir neat, or on the rocks.

Żubrówka

Arguably Poland’s most-loved and most flavourful vodka brand, Żubrówka is a genuine
rye-based vodka specialty, infused with a blade of Bison Grass grown in the
country’s eastern Białowieża Forest. Consumed straight up, its delicate aroma
and herbal flavor warms the cockles of the heart on a grey, dull day. A tongue
that would like to venture into a variety can also mix one part Żubrówka and
two parts ice-cold apple juice to create ‘Tatanka’ (apple pie), a deceptively
strong concoction.

Wyborowa

Ordering up a shot of Wyborowa vodka (‘exquisite’ vodka) is a sure-fire way to impress
the pants off that certain Polish someone or seal the deal with an important
business partner. Clear as a mountain stream, this quadruple distilled tipple
has an exceptionally fresh and smooth taste that reflects its well-honed
200-year-old heritage. Wyborowa is relished in communion with cocktails like
the Cosmopolitan, Long Island Ice Tea, Black Russian, Screwdriver and a variety
of martinis.

For the best in Polish design, there’s only one city that shapes up

by Anna J. Kutor