Celebration of Zubrowka

There are fun holidays that revolve around alcoholic beverages throughout the year January 31 is Russian Vodka Day, February 18 is International Wine Day, and May 16 is Whiskey Day At the end of summer, on August 30, the Festival of Zubrovka is celebrated - a 40-proof alcoholic drink made from a plant of the cereal family The bitter and aromatic herbal tincture is particularly popular among residents of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia The fragrant bison (glacial bison) is the favorite food of the bison that live in Belovezhskaya Pushcha In honor of the animals of the bison genus, the grass Hierochloe odorata received its second name Zubrowka, which some alcohol connoisseurs consider a worthy alternative to absinthe, has been produced in Poland and Belarus for more than 500 years In Lithuania it is called "Stumbrinė", in the USA - "Bison Vodka" (translated from English - bison vodka) Despite the fact that few ingredients are required to prepare the tincture, its taste surpasses even well-refined moonshine The alkaloids dynaxin and coumarin give the drink a special piquancy Zubrovka is known not only for its intoxicating properties, but also for its medicinal effect Taking the drink in therapeutic doses helps improve appetite, relieve fever and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract Lotions from the tincture accelerate wound healing and treat fungal skin diseases Connoisseurs of zubrowka know that the Polish “Żubrówka Zlota” has nothing in common with the classic version Under this name, the Polish corporation CEDC produces a drink that is somewhat reminiscent of homemade cognac The Polish product does not contain bison stems, but it contains oak bark, galangal root, cinquefoil and other plants Coumarin, which is part of the root and stem of the plant, has been considered a hazardous ingredient in the United States since 1978 Although it is this that gives the drink its healing properties, slight bitterness and greenish color But in the USA they drink “Żubrówka Zlota”, which, to give Americans the impression of the authenticity of the drink, is produced by CEDC with a plastic blade of grass in the bottle In Russia, industrial production of tinctures began in the 19th century The classic recipe for making an alcoholic drink is simple For a ton of vodka, take 2 kg of fragrant herb, therefore, for 1 liter of purified moonshine or 45-proof alcohol - a tablespoon of chopped bison, 1-2 tsp Sahara The drink is infused in a dark place for 2 weeks and after filtering through cheesecloth it becomes ready for drinking Zubrovka was the favorite drink of the USSR Secretary General LI Brezhnev The head of state's security chief should always have a cold bottle of the drink in stock Zubrovka was mentioned in the novel “12 Chairs” by Ilf and Petrov Zhenechka Erofeev spoke about it as one of the varieties of bitters popular among Soviet citizens in his famous poem “Moscow-Petushki” Three countries - Poland, Lithuania and Belarus - compete for the right to be called the birthplace of this famous drink However, the presence of a dispute does not prevent all connoisseurs of the yellow-light green drink with the smell of freshly cut grass from celebrating the Bison Festival on August 30