Review: Bak’s Zubrówka Bison Grass Flavored Vodka

 

Until recently, Zubrówka, or bison grass flavored vodka was prohibited in the U.S. because of toxicity. Modern science then stepped in to remove that toxicity, so now a new, and very different, vodka flavor is available in the U.S. market under the name Bak’s Zubrówka Bison Grass Flavored Vodka.

Nose: very sweet, flowering clover, wet grass, hay, lightly earthy, floral and herbal, honey, baking flour.

Taste: honey sweet, and lightly peppery, fairly herbal, smooth, and rich, with vanilla and a touch of cardamom. It has a big herbaceous, grassy, taste, with mixed sweet and sour character. It’s somewhat grainy (not sure if that’s the base spirit, or the effect of the grass) with golden beet, parsnip, and faint traces of over-ripe pear. It’s quite soft and mostly smooth and silky — almost creamy.

Finish: Fairly peppery — both black pepper and green peppercorn, moderately herbal, with some thyme and tarragon, lingering grassiness and graininess, salts and minerals eventually taking over for the herbs and honey.

Interesting, and surprisingly fun to work with. Granted, on first taste, and maybe the second and third, I frankly had no idea what good I could do with it. Since then, a couple “oh why not…” sorts of off-hand attempts have yielded some very tasty results. For all, exploring gin cocktails, with lime juice on the ready, seems to be key to success. Specific recipes to follow…

And yes, that is a blade of bison grass in the bottle.

Bak’s Zubrówka Bison Grass Flavored Vodka
Produced in Poland, imported by Adamba Imports International, Brooklyn, NY
80 proof, $25, 750ml