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“Zubrovka” is a vodka of golden-light green color with a strength of 40 degrees with a light aroma and a taste of freshly cut grass. Belongs to the class of bitter tinctures. Industrial production of the drink has been established in Poland and Belarus, but the technology is easy to reproduce at home, since the recipe is known exactly. The classic composition of “Zubrovka”: an alcoholic base (vodka), the herb of the same name and a little sugar syrup. All this is mixed in certain proportions, then insisted.
“Scented bison (Hierochloë odorata)” is a perennial herb with a pleasant persistent smell that grows in the wild in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and is food for bison, hence the name. In English-speaking countries, bison is also called “sweetgrass”, which means “sweet grass” in translation. This plant is used not only in the alcoholic beverage industry, but also in cooking as a seasoning and food essence.
Zubrovka grass contains coumarin glycoside, a substance recognized in the United States as hazardous to health. But harm occurs only with prolonged and systematic ingestion into the body. At the same time, it is coumarin that forms the aroma of freshly cut hay in the tincture, increases appetite and improves digestion.
Ingredients:
- vodka (moonshine, alcohol 40-45%) – 1 liter;
- dry grass bison – 1-2 stalks;
- sugar – 1 tablespoon;
- water – 2 tablespoons.
In the classical proportion, 1000 kg of vodka requires 2 kg of grass. At home, for ease of calculation, let’s assume that a liter of vodka by weight is equal to 1 kilogram. Sugar syrup softens the taste, but does not give an obvious sweetness, since its concentration in the solution is negligible.
Vodka or diluted ethyl alcohol (preferably grain alcohol) is suitable as an alcohol base. You can make “Zubrovka” on moonshine, but I advise you to use a well-purified double distillate so that the nasty smell does not interrupt the characteristic aroma that this tincture is famous for.
Recipe “Zubrovka”
1. Chop the grass into small pieces, then put in a jar. You can not grind bison, then the drink looks more spectacular and looks more like a store-bought counterpart, but the infusion time will increase by 5 days.
2. Mix sugar with hot boiling water. Cool to room temperature. Remove white foam from the surface if it appears.
3. Pour bison in a jar with an alcohol base, add syrup. Mix.
4. Close the jar tightly with a lid. Put for 14 days (if the whole herb is infused – 20 days) in a dark, warm place.
5. Filter the tincture through gauze folded in 2-3 layers. With a whole herb, you can leave it as is.
6. Pour the drink into bottles, seal tightly.
Store in a place protected from direct sunlight. Serve with meat and cold appetizers. Shelf life – up to 5 years. Fortress home “Zubrovka” – 37-38%, the taste is difficult to distinguish from the store counterpart.
Afterword
The Polish corporation CEDC has launched a new product on the market – Żubrówka Zlota. But this drink has nothing to do with the traditional bitters, since there is no bison herb in its composition.
The taste of Zolotaya Zubrovka is formed by infusing grain alcohol with oak bark, galangal root, lemon peel, prunes, vanilla, cumin and cinnamon. I do not want to say that this is a bad drink, on the contrary, it is perfectly balanced, but using the word “Żubrówka” in the name is not entirely correct, as this misleads consumers.