[CH] Re:CHile-Vodka & Zubrovka /LONG-SORRY

lukasz (lukasz@midcoast.com.au)
Mon, 20 Jul 1998 21:30:13 +1000 

> 
> Funny you should post this.  I was at one of the best liquour stores
> in the Boston area (Marty's in Newton) today and he had a 8" glass jug
> of pale straw colored vodka with two beatiful red serrano chiles in
> the jug.  The name of the product is "Inferno" and he was sampling
> it from the distributor -- and had decided to order it.  It will be
> in as a regular item next week.
> 
> The Time-Life "Foods of the World" series' volume on Russian Cookery
> has a discussion of the many flavored vodkas which are traditional
> in that part of the world, along with instructions.  I find the most
> interesting to be Zubrovka, which one used to be able to buy as an
> import from Poland years ago, but appears to be unavailable now.  It
> is made by placing Zubrovka grass in a bottle of vodka and allowing
> it to stand for a minimum of three days and a maximum of as long as
> you can wait before drinking it.  Zubrovka grass is the grass that
> grows on the plains of eastern Poland and Russia and gets its name
> from the European bison (Zubra) which like to graze on it.  After some
> research, I discoverd that this is the same plant as the aromatic
> "sweet grass" which is grown for hay in this country -- so if you
> know a farmer, ask for a few blades of this tall grass, dry them like
> hay, store them wrapped in plastic wrap, and place two or three
> 8-inch or longer pieces in a bottle of vodka, put it in the fridge,
> wait a few days, and enjoy.
>//SNIP//
> Or, I just did a search of the web and found a herb store in
> Sacramento, California which will sell you Zubrovka (Buffalo Grass)
> for $1.25 per 1/8 oz. package.  Unfortunately, they have a minimum
> shipping charge of $4.25 on orders of $10 or less, so this makes
> for some pretty pricey hay. 
> Cheers,
> The Old Bear
Some Snippage but probably not as much as should have taken
place,
Being an Ex-Partiate Pole I can Shed some light on this and ask
some Questions ..
POLMOS Is the Company who makes most of the Flavoured Vodkas.
It all depends on the Importer as to what comes into the country
as well as regional requirements ..
Our local Woolworths Supermarket in Coffs Harbour has been Known
to stock a case or two of Zubrovka -Bison Grass Vodka , But I
have never seen Chile Vodka here in Coffs, But in Newcastle NSW
a Largish City about 8 hours drive south with a large Migrant
population, its on the shelves.. 
I have had some Bison Grass sent to me by one of My Aunts still
living in Poland, which I made the mistake of sending on to some
Polish people Living in NZ - { Late 70's } I thanked the NZ
Quarantine service for the letter they sent me !{they had No
Luck in Identifying It} and re-iterated that it was Not Cannabis
Sativa ,
but I think they still Destroyed IT ..
I was under the Impression that this Grass Only grew in the
Eastern parts of POLAND and the western part of the old USSR!
..In the Bialowiza
Forest Region .. Scuse the spelling --{HERBA HIEROCHLOE} grass
is one of the descriptions I have ..A Grass Beloved of the
Bisons ............ 
Please reply to me off list with your Research Discoveries as
they seem to contradict all that I was ever told,or read in
Books ...........
As to the USD $1.25 per 1/8 oz package + USD $4.25 shipping
charge 
If its Genuine Polish Bison Grass Its a Bargain.. If Its Sweet
Hay --
Well I can get a Bale of Lucerne Here for AUD 6.00-USD about
$3.69..
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
I still have a blade or two of Genuine {TM} Bison Grass left ,
its 2-3 yrs old and still has the same odour ........
BTW the Chile vodka has about as much heat as a can of old el
Paso Mild 
whatever kind of Chile's they are..!!
Standard Disclaimers Apply - 
Just a Bloke with a Discerning taste 
Praise be to El Grande