Sometimes you want a fast, easy to make drink that is delicious but requires next to no effort. That’s when I reach for one of my all time favorite drinks from Poland.
It uses a Polish vodka called Żubrówka, which is flavored with bison grass. Named for the type of grass grazed on by European bison, which is sweet and aromatic (and which you might better known as sweet grass or vanilla grass), bison grass imparts a warm, cinnamon taste to the vodka. Żubrówka still comes with a blade of bison grass in each bottle and an image of a bison on the front, so you’ll know what to look out for.
Żubrówka is seen everywhere in Poland and across much of Europe too, though it can be a bit trickier to find in the U.S. You’ll find it at specialty spirits shops or online though, and it’s well worth picking up a bottle as it’s not expensive and it has a unique flavor.
It mixes well with any kind of fruit flavors, so go ahead an try it in a lemon drop or a caipiroska. But there’s one Żubrówka drink which reigns supreme, and that’s the Szarlotka.
The magic of Żubrówka and apple juice
Szarlotka is the traditional Polish name for a drink you’ll also see called an Apple Cake. As its name suggests, it tastes just like an apple pie — sweet, tart, cinnamony, and warm all at once.
It’s also incredibly simple to make. You just combine two parts apple juice to one part Żubrówka, and serve in a high ball glass over ice. Add an apple slice as a garnish, and you’re done.
The key is to use good quality cloudy apple juice, so don’t cheap out here. But with these two ingredients on hand you can whip up a delicious drink in seconds.
