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Zubrovka is a real legendary vodka, with an ancient history and a mass of admirers throughout the post-Soviet space and beyond. Meanwhile, there is nothing easier than repeating the famous bison recipe at home – this is probably the simplest of the bitters.
The word “Zubrovka” is probably familiar to every inhabitant of the post-Soviet space. This unique vodka with a light herbal aroma and an original golden-green color has been a regular at the festive tables of various people since Soviet times: from simple hard workers to the General Secretaries of the Central Committee. Leonid Ilyich himself was very fond of this drink and used it, according to his own statement, “tits-masiski”.
Meanwhile, there is nothing easier than repeating the famous bison recipe at home – this is probably the simplest of the bitters. Today we will talk about the interesting history of the legendary vodka, learn the simplest recipe for bison from moonshine, alcohol or vodka, and also try to reproduce the recipe for the original Zubrovka Zlata tincture with prunes, galangal, cinnamon and oak bark!
A couple of interesting facts about the Zubrovka drink
The special vodka “Zubrovka” has been known for a long time – it has been produced in Belarus and Poland for more than 500 years, since the XNUMXth century. The Commonwealth was a well-known center for distilling, many different drinks were produced here, which were traded throughout Europe, take at least the same Starka, “Slavic whiskey”. But the rich tycoons dabbled in starka, mostly. Ordinary people preferred Zubrovka – at home it is done quickly, it requires few ingredients, and it tastes much better than ordinary, even well-purified moonshine.
The main element of the tincture is “Scented bison”, Hierochloë odorata. The famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha is considered the birthplace of this fragrant herb – almost the only island of prehistoric forest in Europe that once covered the entire mainland. Majestic bison lived for themselves, nibbling green treats, but a man came, let the weed into the production of tincture, and the bison themselves – for a snack. Now these animals are protected by the state, and Hierochloë odorata is cultivated in Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland.
The commercial production of bison has been established since the end of the XNUMXth century, after the abolition of the Bolshevik Prohibition, it gained wide popularity in the USSR. The aroma of fragrant stems hides the shortcomings of vodka very well, but at the same time, the drink is perfectly drunk with almost any snack.
“On this day, God sent Alexander Yakovlevich for lunch a bottle of bison, homemade mushrooms, herring mincemeat, Ukrainian borscht with 1st grade meat, chicken with rice and dried apple compote”
“12 chairs”
Real Zubrovka vodka contains coumarin glycoside – not the most useful substance, in the USA it is even included in the list of poisonous ones. In fact, coumarin is not so dangerous – it can cause harm to the body only with prolonged use.
But it also has positive aspects – this substance increases appetite, improves digestion, and besides, it is this substance that gives Zubrovka that very smell of freshly cut grass.
Connoisseurs of the unique aroma and taste of bison all over the world drink a real drink, and only Americans – alcohol “yupi” with flavors and a plastic blade of grass in a bottle – it has been produced in Poland especially for the States since 1999.
A simple recipe for Zubrovka from moonshine or vodka
Do not want to buy imported Polish vodka in the market, but would you like to make it yourself? There is nothing easier! All we need:
- Vodka or good, purified moonshine at least twice distilled. Alcohol diluted to 45% is also suitable.
- 1 tsp Sahara;
- Actually, Zubrovka Fragrant. You can buy it from grandmothers in the market or in pharmacies specializing in medicinal herbs.
According to the classic recipe for bison, 2 kg is used per ton of vodka. herbs, that is, per liter you will need only 2 grams – 1-2 blades of grass or a tablespoon in chopped form. A concentrated syrup is prepared from sugar. If you do not use vodka, but alcohol or moonshine, the sugar content should be increased to 1.5-2 teaspoons.
We throw the grass into a jar, fill it with alcohol, add sugar syrup and send it to a dark, warm place for 2 weeks. After settling, we filter the drink through gauze and that’s it, your Zubrovka tincture is ready for use!
There are nuances in this bison recipe. The fact is that the grass can be collected at different times of the year, stored in different ways. As a result, the content of coumarin in it may vary.
Throw too much – the drink will become bitter and green, too little – there will be no desired flavoring effect. Therefore, you can take more grass, insist it for a couple of weeks on pure 96% alcohol, and then add the concentrate little by little to vodka until you get the desired taste and color.
Complicate the task – the original vodka “Zubrovka Zlata”
Żubrówka Zlota is a new bitters produced by the Polish corporation CEDC. It has nothing in common with the classic Zubrovka – fragrant Zubrovka is not even included in the composition. But this drink is very tasty, it looks like a very good “home-made cognac”, it goes well in its pure form, with coffee, cola, and especially with uzvar (dried fruit compote).
To be honest, I did not prepare this tincture and did not find the exact recipe anywhere. But the list of ingredients is very interesting, and the branded drink is really tasty, I speak from my own experience. So I suggest that the readers of The Rum Diary experiment and unravel the Golden Zubrovka recipe at home. A general educational article on home tinctures will help us with this.
We need:
- Kalgan root. For self-tincture of galangal, 5-6 roots are needed. So we, I think, will completely manage with one spine per liter of vodka. If it is not there, you can replace it with “Potentilla Upright” from a pharmacy. I think we need about 0.5 teaspoon.
- Prunes – 2-3 berries per liter will be enough.
- Oak bark. For rowanberry, 1.5 tablespoons per 0.5 liters are used, and for nutcracker – 4 tablespoons. for 8 liters. We take the average value – 1 spoon per liter.
- The zest of the 1st lemon is no longer needed, otherwise it will kill the aroma of the rest of the ingredients. If the lemon is large, cut the zest from only half.
- Cinnamon – 1-2 sticks or 0.5 tablespoons ground.
- Vanilla – on the tip of a knife.
- Cumin – a pinch.
We mix the whole thing, fill it with vodka (or better – with 50% alcohol) and insist in a warm, dark place for about 2 weeks – until the liquid acquires an amber, cognac hue. After that, it must be filtered – first through gauze, then through a cotton filter. Our tincture should be sweetish, so we cook the syrup and start the sacrament – pour a little syrup into vodka, mix and try, mix again and try again – until completely clear, that is, until the moment when the taste seems balanced to you. After that, the drink will need to stand for a couple more days and filter.
If you decide to try – write what you did! After all, someone figured out the mysterious recipe for Becherovka, which means that it is quite possible to make Golden Zubrovka at home. As soon as my hands reach, I will try to experiment myself and I will definitely post a photo recipe!