Here’s How to Drink Vodka Like a Local Pole

Are you planning a trip to Krakow and do you have plans to have to drink like a typical pole? This article by polandiatravel.com is just for you. Wine drinkers are now not that recognized in Poland but it is more about making the most of vodka stretching across Eastern Europe, Nordic and Baltic states.

Vodka has always been a major part of Polish tradition with various belnds that date centuries old. Zubrówka has been still in production for more than 6 centuries! So if you want to drink like a local Pole, here is what you should do. In Poland, drinking is deemed a public affair, so always make sure that you have a group of friends with whom you can share your vodka with. Poles never drink vodka in the form of cocktail or dilute it with water. As a matter of fact, for these traditionalists, these practices are straightforwardly deemed criminal.

Vodka for them, is always drunk neat, chilled without ice and is measured around 50 ml. Na zdrowie, pronounced naz-dro-y-yeh is the common common toast and it means to health. It is always drunk in a single gulp or ‘do dna’ meaning to the bottom, no matter the size. The drinks are instantly refilled, so always make sure to take some time between each and every toast to have some water or some Polish snack like sausage or pickles.

But, be wary of a few things. If you are a guest at someone’s place, the host will always anticipate to expect the bottle to be empty before you leave their place. And always drink responsibly. Unless you are a Russian, you must never challenge a Pole to drink like them. Always miss a few turns or just sip your drinks in a few stages. Also, Polish vodka is available in a number of colors and flavors.

Here is a basic guide to the same. Czyta or clear vodka is not the only species of wódka family. Although, clear vodka is deemed a basic fuel for seasoned drinkers, there is wyborowa that is finest of the wheat based clear vodka and there are also rye based, sweet and extra dry varieties as well. This may entail myśliwska or ‘hunter’s vodka’ that tastes like gin, wiśniówka that is flavoured with cherries, jarzębiak or rowan berries, cytrynówka or lemon, pieprzówka or pepper and the certainly the very famous żubrówka or ‘bison vodka’, that comes flavoured with grass on which the bison feed.