"What are fruit liqueurs?"

This question is often asked by our customers and is the best proof that the old tradition of making and drinking this excellent alcoholic beverage is vanishing. Therefore, our task is to acquaint you with the essence of these products, because everything indicates that they deserve the status of a national delicacy.

The history of Polish fruit and herb liqueurs goes back to medieval times. It turns out that the first recipes were developed behind the walls of the16^th century monasteries. By skilfully pouring spirit over fresh or dried fruit, herbs or spices, monks obtained an alcoholic drink containing 30-40% alcohol. Over the centuries, the process has not changed a great deal. In accordance with tradition, our liqueurs are made exclusively on the basis of natural products, and are stored in oak casks in which they mature until they reach the appropriate flavour. In the gentry-controlled Poland of centuries past, it was believed that a liqueur prepared during a child's christening should be served at his or her wedding.

Aquae vitae (Latin for the water of life) is a classic equivalent of all types of liqueurs. This name was used by medieval alchemists to describe the first extracts of herbs and roots that had miraculous healing properties. We will discuss the healing power of liqueurs a little further on. Meanwhile, let's not forget their undoubted value in the sensation of taste. Many people associate fruit liqueurs with sweet cordials; but they couldn't be more wrong! Of course, there are sweeter liqueurs, such as: Wiśniówka (cherry liqueur) or Malinówka (raspberry liqueur), but on the other hand Ziołówka (herb liqueur) and Tarninówka (sloe liqueur) will satisfy the aficionados of drier spirits.

Moreover, fruit or herb liqueurs can be an excellent compliment to a meal. Many of them combine well with particular dishes. Morelówka (apricot liqueur) is served with turkey, and cherry liqueur with roast turkey. Alternatively, a glass of blackcurrant liqueur best complements a duck dish.

Our liqueurs are prepared with passion and enormous meticulousness. We would like you to enjoy their taste while sipping them, because in the case of these valuable and lovingly-prepared alcohols, there can be no question of intemperance. To paraphrase Henri Beraud, a French thinker, "Drinking alcohol is life, tasting alcohol is a science, and talking about alcohol is an art".

"Good Health!" 

In a Tibetan monastery in 1974, a recipe for an "elixir of youth" was found, dating from the 4th-6th centuries BC. This miraculous mixture turned out to be nothing less than a garlic liqueur. Its amazing properties aided metabolism, cleansed the body, prevented heart attacks and cancer, and rejuvenated the body.

As it turned out, Poles did not lag behind, and already by the 17^th century liqueurs filled medicine cabinets, both in the houses of noblemen, the landed gentry and burgesses. In country farmhouses the lady of the house taught her daughters to make and use natural remedies. Once she had learned those skills, a girl was ready for marriage. Our great-grandmothers used to make fragrant tinctures which were necessary for cosmetic purposes. They aromatised vodka with rose petals, lavender, and lilies-of-the-valley. Two weeks after St John's Day (24^th June) alcohol used to be poured over still-green walnuts to create a liqueur which nothing could surpass as a remedy for indigestion. If not for that old-Polish nut liqueur, the over-gorged gentry would have died of stomach complaints!

And so the court medics took care of the health of their fellow countrymen. As the saying went, "If you want to be healthy in Poland, you should not use pharmacies or doctors but get properly drunk twice a year. Once, in May, instead of a mineral water treatment, and again, in October, to avoid colds and inflammatory diseases". Of course, we cannot take this advice too seriously today. Liqueurs are used as remedies to support conventional medicine, but only in small and regular amounts. Thus dispensed, cranberry liqueur may be an excellent source of vitamins and minerals; chokeberry liqueur is a remedy for hypertension; and buckthorn liqueur has an anti-sclerotic effect. We hope that along with the general growing appreciation for slow food (healthy food), those and many other liqueurs will win favour with you.

Vodkas, old-fashioned vodkas, and distillates

Besides fruit or herb liqueurs, we also recommend flavoured vodkas, the so-called distillates, which are drier and slightly less strong. As the name suggests, they are achieved through distillation. Crushed fruit, such as apples, which is then fermented, contains no more than a few percent of alcohol. To make it into vodka, the water needs to be removed. Because alcohol is lighter than water, after the pulp has been heated it will evaporate quicker and, after condensing, flow down to a container, becoming stronger in the process. Thus, stronger spirit is created, containing over 40% alcohol. In the case of our Jabłkówka (apple distillate) and Gruszkówka (pear distillate), we repeat the process twice, thus obtaining a spirit with 50% alcohol content. As with fruit liqueurs, distillates mature in oak casks, and achieve the best quality after six to seven years. During that period, it acquires a beautiful golden hue which makes our product quite unique.

We are just as meticulous when preparing our juniper distillate, which was so popular among past generations, and a manly yet gentle mint distillate, as well as an aromatic heather distillate, and many, many more such delicacies which will satisfy even the most discerning connoisseur.