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Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

Beverage

Polish Mad Dog Shot (Wściekły Pies)

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I hadn’t been in Poznań long before I was introduced to the Polish Mad Dog Shot (Wściekły Pies), and it quickly became a favorite. We often like to have a Mad Dog with friends as they arrive at our place for dinnner. It’s different and a little crazy. It breaks the ice, but we become more sensible as the evening goes on, so everyone is ready to drive home when the time comes.

With only three ingredients, it’s a shot of surprising complexity. There is, of course, the burn of the vodka, that is quickly offset by the raspberry syrup, and as a final note the Tobasco heat keeps the syrup from being too sweet.

It’s over in a flash and leaves you wondering how to describe what you just experienced. If your not a fan of Tabasco, just leave it out. The drink now in front of you with the red stripe on bottom and the clear vodka on top is called a Polish Flag.

Keeping the distinct layers that make this drink so visually striking is much easier if both the vodka and syrup are chilled. You can also add to your success by using an upside down teaspoon to difuse the vodka pour and have it gentlely settle on top of the red syrup. If you have trouble finding the raspberry syrup, check Cost Plus World Market if you have one nearby, or of course, everything can be found on Amazon.

I feel a little silly putting something so simple into the recipe app, but that’s how  you let Google and other search engines know that you’re writing a recipe.

Na zdrowie!

Lois

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links, which means your purchases help support this site.

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Polish Mad Dog Shot (Wściekły Pies)

  • Author: polishhousewife
  • Prep Time: 2 min
  • Total Time: 2 min
  • Yield: 1
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A sweet and spicy shot

Ingredients

  • 1/2 shot chilled raspberry syrup
  • 1/2 shot vodka, chilled
  • 3 drops Tobasco

Instructions

  1. Pour raspberry syrup into a shot glass
  2. Carefully pour vodka on top of the syrup, using the back of a spoon to difuse the pour, or tilt the glass and aim for the edge, you want to have distinct layers
  3. Add three drops of Tobasco that will settle between the layers

Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

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When a friend gives you a big bag of lemons from their tree, there just aren’t enough lemon recipes. Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur has always been a favorite, so we’ve made several batches, one for me, one for Ed without sugar (it’s burns a lot more), one for my mom’s birthday, one for the lemon grower.

Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

I still have a lot of lemons to use. There may be lemon curd, lemon brine chicken, or lots of lemonade in our future.

As usual, my inspiration comes from our book the Great Book of Tinctures which is in Polish. If you’d like your own copy, it’s usually available on Amazon via my affiliate link. (That means if you buy it via this link, amazon pays me a few cents.) There are a lot of variations to make this lemon liqueur. Some recipes will use lemon juice. Some will use a higher proof liquor, but I can say that this is delicous and quick and easy to assemble, and ready to drink in just a few days. It makes for great sipping after dinner or can be used in cocktails.

Na zdrowie!

Lois

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Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
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Description

Homemade Lemon Liqueur in the Polish tradition

Ingredients

4 lemons

1 liter vodka

sugar, 1/4 – 3/4 cup

Instructions

Wash the lemons and submerge in boiling water (I wish I could explain the benefits of the boiling water, but I’m just following directions)

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons, add to a large jar or divide among multiple jars

Add vodka and sugar (to taste), and top with a lid

Shake or swirl the mixture occasionally over the next couple of days, until the sugar dissolves

Remove the lemon zest after 24 to 48 hours

Refrigerate and serve chilled

Cafe Affogato

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I’m sure I’m not the first person to have said, food knows no borders. How else could our first exposure to Cafe Affogato be in Poland? The first I’d heard of it was when Ed told me about having one at a golf course with his Polish golf pro friend, Przemek. I had a couple of Cafe Affogatos while we lived in Poland. One of the more memorable was at a driving range. You can read all about that here. While we’re on the subject of difficult to pronounce Polish names, how about Przemek? He was the golf pro at this posh driving range. At first, I thought it was Shemek, but no. You must find a way to mumble Prz in front of that . . .shemek.

 

Cafe Affogato

How did we come to be having Cafe Affogato for breakfast here in Tucson? Well, we’re having them in the morning because we don’t have decaf espresso. We’re having them again because on a recent trip to Costco trying to remember what we were shopping for, we drove by Tuscon’s new Top Golf, a multi-level driving range that serves food and drinks. It’s Chuckie Cheese for grownup golfers. We haven’t been yet, and I said that we should make a point of trying it out because it was as close as we would get to Hotel Solei, home of the driving range mentioned in the paragraph above. That led to planning to buy ice cream and what cute little cups we would use to serve our Cafe Affogatos.

If you haven’t had one yet, let me explain that affogato is Italian for drowned. It’s simply a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato drowned with hot espresso. It is a dessert or a beverage? You’ll find it in both places on the menu depending on where you are. It’s so simple that I feel a little silly putting it into a recipe format, but that the only way to let search engines know that I’m writing about how to prepare something. You can, of course, do as others do and fancy it up a bit, with other flavors of ice cream, syrups, sprinkles, or maybe even some yummy baked good under the ice cream, brownie affogato?

Smacznego!

Lois

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Cafe Affogato

  • Author: polishhousewife
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

A scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in hot espresso

Ingredients

2 scoops vanilla ice cream or gelato

2 shots hot espresso or strong coffee

Instructions

Place a scoop of ice cream in each cup of glass

Top with hot coffee

Serve with a spoon

Notes

Go all out with favored ice creams, sprinkles, syrups, make it your own!

Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea

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One area that everyone raves about is Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains in the southeast of Poland. It’s all about the great outdoors. In the summer, everyone treks down there to hike the beautiful green mountains. In the winter, snow sports rule. Many folks who visit Zakopane mention having Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea. It’s  often referred to as tea laced with vodka.  Reader, Mage, is one of those who sampled Highlander Tea in Zakopane and asked if I had a recipe for the delicious tea. A little research and now I do!

The recipe may be a well kept secret. While there are many mentions of Herbata  Góralska Polish Highlander Tea and many photos of snow bunnies enjoying a mug of Highlander Tea, I found only one recipe online, and that was on polki.pl. It’s seems like each cook puts a personal spin on traditional recipes. So if you and your family have a variation of Highlander Tea, please share it in the comments! I’m curious and want to hear about your experience with the winter beverage.

I’ve adapted the recipe a bit by doubling the amount of tea added. The original proportions are 2 parts vodka to 1 part tea. You can, of course, adjust to your own taste.

Na Zdrowie!

Lois

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Herbata Góralska Polish Highlander Tea

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 2 quarts
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Tea leaves with vodka from the Polish mountains

Ingredients

  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 8 black tea bags
  • 6 tablesonns raspberry syrup
  • 4 cups vodka
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Juice of one lemon

Instructions

  1. Add tea bags to boiling water
  2. Steep 10 minutes before removing the tea bags
  3. Add raspberry syrup, vodka, rum, sugar, and lemon juice
  4. Stir until sugar disdolves
  5. Bottle and store for two months (this is from the Polish recipe, we enjoyed the same day)
  6. Serve warm

 

Classic Champagne Cocktail

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It may be Boxing Day, but it’s not too early to begin planning for New Year’s Eve. This Classic Champagne Cocktail is Great for NYE, Valentine’s Day, or Easter. I’ll bet your life has many special occasions that call for a festive beverage; you can’t go wrong with such a classic!

Classic Champagne Cocktail

My first taste of a champagne cocktail was at Bar Eduardo near the bullring in Madrid back in the day. Ed was stationed in Spain at the time, and we thought it was kind of cute to visit a place with his name.

Once we stepped inside, we knew there was much more that was special about Eduardo’s. The bartenders were consummate professionals. This was long before the movie Cocktail or bartenders being known for flair. The staff at Eduardo’s were ahead of their time.

The classic champagne cocktail seemed to be their signature drink and they prepared it deftly. It was fascinating to watch. The cocktail was always served with a few gummy raspberries and blackberries alongside. It was our first encounter with the colorful candies, and they’ve been a favorite ever since. We had to keep that detail as we tried to recreate their process.

We must have mentioned our outings to Bar Eduardo to my parents because at one point, my mother sent us an article from the New York Times magazine. The subject had to do with the lesson American workers could take from the bartenders at Bar Eduardo near the bullring in Spain’s capital city. The author spoke of the great pride they took in their work, the dedication to getting it right, no corners were ever cut.

If our Bar Eduardo still exists near Las Ventas, they have no Internet presence. So I’ll toast their lasting memory.

Cheers!

Lois

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Classic Champagne Cocktail

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 2 mins
  • Total Time: 2 mins
  • Yield: 1 cocktail
  • Category: Beverage
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Description

Elegance in a glass

Ingredients

  • 1 sugar cube
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1/3 ounce brandy (2 teaspoons or 2/3 tablespoon)
  • 3 – 4 ounces champagne
  • orange peel
  • maraschino cherry

Instructions

  1. Splash the bitters onto the sugar cube, drop in champage glass
  2. Add brandy
  3. Top with champagne
  4. Garnish with orange and cherry

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow

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Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow is often one of the twelve traditional dishes for Christmas Eve or Wigilia in Poland. After simmering dried fruit, spices, and sugar or honey, the “broth” is strained off to served as a holiday beverage. The remaining, now re-hydrated fruit can be served as a stewed fruit, with yogurt, on oatmeal, or, I believe, some even serve it with pasta. I have to tell you, that I fixed this out of curiosity even though I didn’t expect to like Dried Fruit Compote. I half expected the fruit and liquid to taste like the canned fruit cocktail of my childhood. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, an elegant non-alcholic beverage for the holidaysI used in order of descending amounts: dried cherries, prunes, dried apples, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and it was delicious. The liquid (fruit broth) kompot was delicious, the fruit itself was wonderful, the spices really added to the taste without being overpowering. YUM!

So easy to make! Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow serve this Polish classic as is, or with oatmeal or yogurt, or even with pasta!

Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow for Christmas Eve

In the interest of complete disclosure, I have never experienced a traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal or even Kompot z Suszonych Owocow until I made this batch. At a recent Girls Night for drinks and nibbles, the group asked me what Christmas was like in Poland. I confessed that we always came home to Tucson for Christmas with our family, so I hadn’t experienced it first hand, but from what I know of it, the huge family celebration involves decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, a little straw underneath the table cloth to remind everyone that Jesus was born in a manger. The meal is not eaten until the first star is seen, it consists of twelve (to represent the apostles) meatless dishes, including at least one soup. The soup(s) might be beet and/or mushroom. There may be a couple of fish dishes, herring is popular, and Jewish style carp. Makowiec, poppy seed roll is a popular dessert for Wigilia. After this feast, a midnight mass takes us from Advent to Christmas.

Quick and easy; Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, a Polish classic, to eat or drink!

Whether you drink or eat your Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owocow, I think you’ll love it.

Smacznego!

Lois

 

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Dried Fruit Kompot or Kompot z Suszonych Owoców

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Dried fruit and spices create a favorful winter drink

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds dried fruit, any variety
  • 1 cup sugar, or less to taste
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 3 whole allspice

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, cover
  2. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
  3. Cool
  4. Strain to serve as a beverage
  5. Serve fruit with or without liquid

 

Grzane Wino (Mulled Wine)

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 Grzane Wino (Mulled Wine) is a great way to warm up on a cold winter day. You can prepare it with  any inexpensive red wine. You’re going to add sugar and spices, so the wine’s flavor will blend with the other flavors, and the finer points of an expensive wine would be lost. You’ll find Grzane Wino for sale at outdoor Christmas markets in Poland. It’s a good way to keep your hands warm as you visit the vendors’ stalls. It’s commonly available in bars and restaurants too during the colder months too.  Mulled wine is popular all over Europe. During one particularily cold week, when we were travleing with one of our daughters, I had hot mulled wine in London, Berlin, and Poznań but none better than this recipe from the 612th Squadron Cookbook.

Grzane Wino (Mulled Wine) from Poland

I first had this at the home of Ed’s squadron commander. The squadron had deployed for a month, as they often did, and the commander’s wife had the task of keeping the rest of us entertained and happy. Sue did just that. A bunch of us spent the day at her dining table, learning to make Bread (Salt) Dough Christmas Ornaments and sipping Mulled Wine — instant sisterhood.

I love to put on a pot of Grzane Wino before winter guests arrive. The aroma and warmth make it such an inviting way to welcome them into your home, and it couldn’t be easier!

Na zdrowie,

Lois

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Grzane Wino (Mulled Wine)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 90 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
  • Yield: 10 pumch glasses
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A mulled wine with wonderful fragrance and comforting flavors

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle red wine (i like Gallo Ruby Red Port the best)
  • 1 bottle water
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1/2 lemon (sliced)
  • 10 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in large saucepan and barely simmer 90 minutes
  2. Serve hot

 

 

Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate

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Have you ever had the wonderful European style hot chocolate? It’s a cross between hot pudding and chocolate ganache. We had a restaurant in Poznan, Cacao Republika, that served Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate. It was their specialty. They served it many ways; my favorite being with a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur. It was a favorite spot to take visiting family.

Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate, super thick and perfect for a cold day!

We  stopped at Cacao Republika after dinner when my mother, brother, and sister were visiting. When I mentioned to my sister that I was making Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate like we’d had at Cacao Reupblika for a blog post, she looked at me and said, “why didn’t we go there every day?” Um, calories, carbs, whatever you’re counting, come to mind.

Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate, super thick and perfect for a cold day!

If you’re ordering this thick hot chocolate in a restaurant, you’ll know it’s the real thing by the hot chocolate machine, usually sitting on the bar, a glass cylinder with a couple of wands spinning though the molten chocolate mixture, keeping it warm and keeping it moving. A spout at the bottom, drains off the hot chocolate a cup at a time.

It’s a comforting, dense sip of chocolate.

Smacznego!

Lois

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Gorąca Czekolada Polish Hot Chocolate

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 servings
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A super thich hot chocolate, a cross between hot pudding and chocolate ganache

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 5 ounces dark chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces milk chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  • your favorite liqueur (optional)
  • whipped cream to garnish

Instructions

  1. Add 1 1/4 cups milk, cream, and chocolate chips to a saucepan
  2. Warm over medium heat, stirring from the bottom of the pan until chocolate melts
  3. Stir the corn starch into the remaining 1/4 cup of milk until smooth, add to the saucepan
  4. Stir constantly until mixture thickens
  5. Add vanilla or your favorite liqueur, I recommend Bailey’s Irish Cream (optional)
  6. Serve in small cups (it’s rich) and top with whipped cream

 

Sangria

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My friend and I hosted dinner for 14.  It was a fun evening; everyone brought something, so it wasn’t too much work for anyone.  We had a great salad and a baked potato bar (with all kinds of toppings: chili, cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, chives, BBQ chicken!)  My contribution was dessert and Sangria. You’ll love my sangria recipe!

 My sangria recipe, the best souvineer of our four years in Spain. Just the thing for your next party.

I said to someone, as we were filling our glasses, that I have a PhD in Sangria. OK, it might be more accurate to say I did four years of “research in the field” while we were in Spain. The most unusual Sangria I had during that time was prepared by a Spanish bullfighter; he added gin to the wine and included sliced bananas in the fruit medley.

It’s such a refreshing drink, and it offers such flexibility! It can be made with red or white wine, I like both, but I think red stands up to the other flavors better.

If you enjoy this recipe, how about rating the recipe in the comments below, sharing the love and passing it on to your friends?

Salud!

Lois

 

PS – This makes enough for a punch bowl, but you can make 1/3 of the recipe and serve it in a pitcher. The following are affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, Amazon sends me a few cents.

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Spanish, Sangia, punch bowl,

Sangria

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Spanish
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Description

refreshing and tasty, sure to make any gathering a party.

Ingredients

  • 3 bottles cheap red wine (I used Two Buck Chuck, assorted varietals.)
  • 1 1/2 cups Triple Sec
  • 2 oranges, sliced
  • 2 lemons, sliced
  • 1 lime, sliced
  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1 liter Sprite
  • 1 liter club soda

Instructions

  1. Combine wine, triple sec, and fruit in punch bowl.
  2. Allow flavors to blend for at least 2 hours, but less than 6 hours (the citrus pith can impart a bitter taste if it sits too long).
  3. Add Sprite and club soda just before serving (the is the closest I can come to the gaseosa that we used in Spain).
  4. Serve over ice.

 

PS – to my food blogging friends, I’ll point out that I saved (kept out) an orange slice and a strawberry when adding the fruit to the punch bowl.  The two, clean piece of fruit were placed on top of  the glass in the photo as recommended by Adam Pearson at a recent food blog seminar.  That way, the fruit was very visible and looked perfect, not stained by the wine or smashed (no pun intended) in any way. 

Try this Sangria for your next fiesta! #spain #spainishrecipe #wine #polishhousewife #refreshingdrink PolishHousewife.com

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

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I was only served kompot once during my stay in Poland. We were in Nowe Wioska for a ceremony honoring American airmen in their area during World War II. Ed was asked to represent the U.S. government at the event. It was a moving experience, and you can  read more about it in this post. Everyone in attendance was served a hearty lunch (obiad) after, and cherry kompot was on the tables. It was delicious.

Kompot

You may be familiar with the dessert of stewed fruit known as compote, however, this kompot is a drink made from stewed fruits and popular in central and eastern Europe.

I think it’s fair to say that kompot has about half the sugar of soda, but it’s main selling point would be the very few and all natural ingredients. You know what’s in it, and that is a good thing. The other thing than makes this better for you is the Polish sense of portion control. We drank from little IKEA glasses, probably 8 ounces. There were no Big Gulps of kompot.

Kompot is something you can make year round. Make it in the summer to use up an abundance of inexpensive, fresh fruit. Make it in the winter with dried fruits. The possible combinations are endless and every batch will be a little different.

The basic proportions are a gallon of water, a cup of sugar, a pound to a pound and a half of fruit.

Enjoy!

Lois

Amazon sends me a few cents if you make a purchase via the links above

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Kompot

Kompot a Homemade Fruit Drink

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A healthy fruit drink

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 10 dried apricots
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced
  • 6 ounces raspberries
  • 6 ounces blueberries

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar to the water in a large pan
  2. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves
  3. Add apricots and apple
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes
  5. Add berries
  6. Return to boil and remove from heat
  7. Cool

Notes

The next time I use blueberries, I will muddle them to allow more juice to escape while steeping.

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