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Polish Housewife

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

Polish Beverages & Liqueurs

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

Ananasowa (Polish Pineapple Vodka)

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Wondering where the Polish word for pineapple, ananas, comes from? The scientific name (genus, species) is Ananas comosus.  Ananasowa (Polish Pineapple Vodka) is the latest in my fascination with the Polish pastime of tincture making. This pineapple liqueur is going to be delicious for sipping. Even though this Polish recipe is still aging, I speak of the taste with confidence because our niece made something very similar one Christmas. Her technique was to put the vodka, sugar, and pineapple in a jar, and when the pineapple floats to the top, it’s ready to serve, it aged for only a few days, possibly a week because we sampled when we arrived for New Year’s Eve. She made it in one of those jars with a spout at the bottom, very convenient!

Ananasowa (Polish Pineapple Vodka)

I’m taking inspiration from my reference The Great Book of Tinctures (if you buy via this link, Amazon send me a few cents). A book recommended by our friend, Slawek. Just a few days after we sampled his raspberry vodka, we came across the book in a bookstore in Oświęcim, the town known for Auschwitz-Birkenau. When my mother and sister visited, of course, they wanted to see the memorial and museum, but it I just couldn’t face seeing it all for a second time. So we gave them a phone, and Ed and I spent a few hours seeing the town and hanging out at the local shopping mall or galeria.

While this is not as well-known as Wisniowka, cherry vodka, it’s a lot easier to chop up a pineapple than to pit all of those cherries.

Na zdrowie!

Lois

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Ananasowa (Polish Pineapple Vodka)

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Yield: 1 liter
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Description

A wonderful pineapple liqueur

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of fresh pineapple spears or chunks
  • 1 liter of vodka
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Put the pineapple in jar(s) and cover with vodka, cover, store in pantry for 2 months
  2. Strain and filter, through coffee filter or paper towel lined colander
  3. Make a syrup of the sugar and water by heating just until the sugar dissolves, add to the pineapple vodka
  4. Bottle

Notes

For a variation, add the seeds scraped from 1/4 vanilla pod and 2 drops of cinnamon oil, now you have Ananasowa z Cynamonem

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

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

 

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

 

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.

IMG_2972

Krupnik, a Polish honey liqueur

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The Polish pastime of making flavored vodkas has caught on in our home in a big way. There aren’t many fruits in season now, so I made Krupnik, a vodka sweetened with honey and infused with spices.

IMG_2402

Krupnik originated in the area that is now Belarus in the 1600s, it was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Legend has it Krupnik may have first been made at a Benedictine Monastery in Niasviz. This distant cousin of mead or miodowka has endless variations, with the taste changing based on the variety of honey used and the spices and or herbs added. Another Krupnik recipe in the book uses, orange zest, nutmeg, and a bit of strong coffee, in addition to the honey, vodka, allspice, vanilla pod, clove, and cinnamon.

IMG_2451

Wielka księga nakewek

The honey flavored liqueur can be served at room temperature, chilled, or heated. My recipe, which I’ve translated from Wielka Ksiega Nalewek (The Big Book of Tinctures) suggests that if you serve Krupnik heated, try adding a small piece of chocolate and a dab of butter.

I’ve tried it warm and found the fumes overpowering. I’ll stick to room temp or chilled.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment and rate it 5 Stars. Thanks in advance.

Na zdrowie,

Lois

(Amazon pays me a few cents for purchases via these links)
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Krupnik, a Polish honey liqueur

★★★★ 4 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 1 quart
  • Category: Liqueur
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A honey and spice liqueur recipe that dates back 400 years

Ingredients

  • 2 cups clover honey
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • zest of 1/2 lemon, remove with vegetable peeler
  • 1/4 vanilla bean pod, sliced open
  • 1 allspice berry
  • 2 cups vodka

Instructions

  1. Pour honey into a saucepan
  2. Add cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, vanilla, and allspice
  3. Warm (keeping under a boil) and steep for 10 minutes
  4. Add vodka
  5. Remove from heat and let steep for a couple of hours
  6. Pour through strainer
  7. Pour into bottles
  8. Seal bottles
  9. Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled

Notes

If serving warm, add a small piece of chocolate and a small dab of butter

You can make this with spirytus, If using 2 cups of spirytus rather than 2 cups of vodka, add 2 cups of water to the honey before heating.

 

 

Mandarynkowa – a Clementine Liqueur

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Last week, my blogging friend, David from Cocoa and Lavender, shared his most recent post, Mandarinello, a mandarin orange version of limoncello that he first sampled in Italy. The beautiful orange color of David’s liqueur and the young clementine tree in our garden sent me to Wielka Księga Nalewek (The Big Book of Tinctures) and google translate to make my own Mandarynkowa a clementine liqueur.

Mandarin Orange, Tangerine, Clementine

I’ve known of Mandarin Oranges all of my life. They were tiny orange sections and came in a can. People put them in fruit salads. Tangerines were what I used to get in my Christmas stocking as a child. More recently, clementines have appeared in the markets.

Come to find out, they are all related. Mandarin is a class of orange that is flatter at the top and bottom, easy to peel, and tangerines and the seedless clementines are both varietals of mandarins. So my clementine liqueur can rightly be called Mandarynkowa.

Tinctures

There is nothing finer than the Polish pastime of making tinctures. All over the country, whatever fruit is in season is being steeped in vodka or  something stronger with a little sugar. Time magically transforms the liquid, pulling the color and flavor from the fruit into smooth, jewel toned liqueurs.

We’re finishing off wisniowka, a cherry liqueur that I made two summers ago. It is the perfect end to the evening to pull a bottle out of the fridge and toast our friends around the table.

An afternoon of prep work offers big rewards. I’m sure we’ll sample our clementine liqueur at various stages, but I’ve found these things do improve with age. I used a combination of fruit from our tree and a bag of purchased clementines.

What a difference seating the two! Our clementines have a thick peel and fragrant zest. The purchased ones, not being as fresh, had a very thin peel. It was almost impossible to peel off the zest without getting some of the white pith. I worry that this will make this batch a little bitter.

Mandarynkowa a clementine liqueur

I think next year, we’ll peel off the zest as we’re eating them and freeze the zest until we have enough to steep.

Make it!

Since I made my clementine liqueur with vodka, which is not as strong as spyritus, I’m adding sugar and honey directly to the mix rather than making a simple syrup. I don’t want to further dilute my liqueur.

Here’s my version of Mandarynkowa, a clementine liqueur, from The Big Book of Tinctures, which I’m sure we’ll sip after dinner and probably use in mixed drinks as we would Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.

Na zdrowie!

Lois

Mandarynkowa a clementine liqueur

After two weeks, this is all that remains. It’s fabulous!

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Mandarynkowa – a Clementine Liqueur

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

A colorful digestif

Ingredients

  • 6 ripe mandarin oranges (clementines or tangerines)
  • 1 liter spiritus
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

  1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from the mandarins
  2. Add zest and spiritus to a large jar
  3. Seal and store for two days
  4. Heat water, sugar, and honey until sugar dissolves
  5. Pour spiritus into another jar to remove the zest, add syrup
  6. Seal and store for two weeks
  7. Using a paper filter (paper towel or coffee filter) strain into another jar
  8. Seal and store for two and a half months before serving