Drinking to remember

The Story

Poland, the land of pierogi, Chopin, and the best vodka I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.

In late 2021 I had the opportunity to take a trip to Poland with some great friends. One of our stops was Warsaw, the capital city, flush with a brilliant night scene, museums on every block, and those scooters that let you ride around the city on a budget.

I was told there were a few things that I absolutely must do when I was in Warsaw. I had to visit the Chopin museum, I had to visit the uprising museum, and if everything else failed I HAD to get a bottle of this Bison Grass Vodka.

Zubrowka is the brand name, but similar to the Band-Aid brand, most people just recognize it as the thing itself. One of my first nights in the capital, my friends and I got some scooters and zoomed around the town. Wind beat our faces and adventure stirred in our hearts. At the bottom of that adventure we found ourselves at a vodka bar in downtown Warsaw.

The inside looked like a 50s diner complete with red cushioned metal stools, and monochrome tiles. It was a shot bar. These are popular in Poland, and that one is apparently one of the better ones, "Pijalnia Wodki" if you're interested in a quick google search.

"Cześć" I wave at the bartender, it's the one word out of a handful that I know how to pronounce. It just means 'hi'. The bartender waved me over, and while I was glancing at all of the bright shining bottles on the shelf I heard a loud man shout:

"Okrzyki!" Which I now know to mean cheers. The tall bald man in an Adidas track suit raised his glass, slammed it on the counter and threw the liquid down his maul. His friends then did likewise and cheers filled the small diner with a symphony of glee and amazing drunken stupor.

The tall man came over to where my friend Stella and I were sitting threw his arm around both of our shoulders and said a phrase that I cannot remember, nor pronounce, but he said it with a smile and a laugh. That was enough for me. I nodded my head and the bald man introduced himself as "Alexi" and then asked for mine.

I told him "John, and this is Stella," gesturing to her, roping her into the madness. We became quickly the best of friends, language barrier be damned.

He ordered us shots of fine vodka, on the house of course, and we spent the night listening to tales in a language we didn't quite comprehend. Alexi's gestures made up for the misunderstandings. Stories about him as a young boy, about his adventures with one of the men at the table 'Eryk'.

As the night wore on, he realized that we were American and had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"My friend," Alexi said, the smell of rubbing alcohol spilling from his mouth, "you try Bison Grass?" For some reason my mind thought of 'drugs' instead of the thing that my friends had all told me about back in the states.

I shook my head no.

He grabbed his belly and produced a laugh from deep within his bowels of being. He said something in Polish to the bartender, and the man behind the counter grabbed a bottle of Zubrowka from the shelf and brought it over to the table, with seven shot glasses.

It took our party all of five minutes to crush that bottle.

Now, what I will say is that, of that moment, and that time, I have no recollection. I cannot tell you what that specific glass of vodka tasted like, as I do not remember many of the events there, or after.

I remember Alexi patting me hard on the back. I vaguely remember Stella's face as she made some type of lewd gesture, getting the whole table to swing in uproarious laughter. Then I remember waking up in a hotel bed.

I even managed to retain my wallet and phone!

Overall a 10/10 kind of night.

That was my first experience with Zubrowka but it wasn't my last. I went back to that bar the very next night, and though Alexi was gone, his presence was firm in my mind as I ordered some shots of that Bison grass vodka.

Though I will give my full review below - you should know that I was simply blown away. Now, I'm no vodka connoisseur, but I enjoy a glass every now and again. I've traipsed my way around the various 'popular' titles, and let me tell you, nothing else compares.

****

Smell: 10/10

This is one of the highest points for me, simply because my nostrils didn't burn. I like a good Tito's or Square One for taste, but as light as these can be, I have a sensitive nose, and am often put off by the pure roughness of the smell.

Zubrowka is the exact opposite - with notes of vanilla and lavender, it doesn't even smell like vodka. Most will say that they prefer an odorless vodka, and I can see the appeal of that - and it may not be true to vodka, but as a standalone drink, it certainly was a selling point for me.

I will say that the Polish version differs here because of the presence of Coumarin - a colorless compound that has hints of tobacco and vanilla. Coumarin within alcohol is not legal in the united states, so you can still get a similar tasting vodka here, but to obtain the same smell profile, you'll have to travel to Poland or uh... well.... yeah.

Sight: 6/10

So this is probably the only way that the vodka falls short. In some spheres it is not considered vodka because of it's sight alone. It's got more of a yellowish tint, even fresh out of the bottle. This is due to the herbals that are mixed in. I will still call it vodka because it is made from premium potatoes, but as far as technicalities go, it doesn't have that crystalline appearance that one expects of premium vodka.

Taste: 9/10

For me vodka is really hit or miss. I've enjoyed vodka and I've hated it.

This is the first vodka that made me think 'Oh wow, this is delightful!'

It's the vodka that I offer to those who say, "I don't like vodka" and this usually changes their minds.

It's hard for me to separate the experience from the taste. The thrill of that moment is still fresh in my brain. Alexi, Stella, and I laughing and shouting the night away still resonates. Bison grass vodka was only a small part of the magic of that night, but when I taste it, it all rushes back.

A good number of people drink to forget,

I drink Zubrowka to remember.