Polish Vodka?

quote:

real pig of a cold (man flu)

Sure it's not bird flu, that H5N1 is a real bugger to shake off!

I have read that it is virtually impossible to get bird flu unless you you get intimate with an infected bird [of the feathered variety], and that unless it mutates there is next to no risk ...

Nore serious might be the daily risk of getting run over by a bus!

Frank, Skype later? I am on a day off, paid, as I finished my work early ...

George

I am once again doing a taxi trip to an airport for a Polish friend. How I hate the bloody business of seeing someone off at the airport. It hurts inside to see people people walk away hoping on a prayer to see them again.

Conditioning, I suppose, from seeing my old Norwegian grandparents for the last times under such circumstances. Probably never be any different.

I wish loving people did not hurt.

George

Just woken up! [On the floor!].

Three hours to simulate being a proper civilised human being ...

George!!!!

Well the music continues!

Monday looms like a masive horrible elephant! Must sleep, and get home!!!

George

More Wodka George? That stuff is lovely; by far the nicest Vodka I've ever had and no hangover either! Thanks pal.

quote:

More Wodka George? That stuff is lovely; by far the nicest Vodka I've ever had and no hangover either! Thanks pal.

Which "stuff" is it and where do I get a case?

I like the "no hangover" bit, what a bonus!

Darren

George may be along later to spill the beans! He is driving back from Ashford at the moment.

Just buy a bottle. 0.7 litres of Wyborowa should cost about £11:50, though I have seen rip off pricing, so you may see it at even £16. That is crazy. In Poland it would cost you something about a fiver, though the pound sterling has slipped by more than 20% against the Zloty in the last six months.

First put the Wodka in the freezer to take it down to minus eighteen. This brings out special flavours in a good Wodka, though it does not help a poor one. Personally the famous one begining with S is in fact indrinkable without a mixer added, and it seems to me not a very nice drink even then. The edge on it will never go, but good Wodka has no edge or nastiness left on the pallet if you take the supporting juice fairly quickly after the shot. It is reasonable to buy three times the volume of apple juice as the Wodka.

It is ssential that you use shot glasses, drink in good company, and have food on hand. Good fatty sausages are the perfect counterpart, and this help prevent illness. But most crucial is to have a separate glass of apple juice, as a support. Take the shot in one, and then take a long sip of apple juice. This guarantess you enjoy the drink and do not get a headache. The Wodka is so clean and pure that taken properly as suggested it will not leave you with the kind of horrible state that only a small quantity of some drinks can produce. A steady way to enjoy it is take the drink in a team effort with a toast on each occasion. This paces it, and prevents too rapid a progess, while making everyone present feel involved. Go at the pace of the slowest, and then you end up have great fun, and good conversation. Two people should spend all night drinking one bottle is that is the plan, rather than in half an hour, which is very easy, as it is so quaffable! Best to make a bottle last longer than one evening though! Put it back in the freezer, ready for the next party!
Don't do it too often, as it is potent enough to ruin the liver in short orfder if you drink it too often. It is for special occasions!

It was nice to see Julian actualy wait before taking his juice, so as to enjoy the Wodka on the pallet, though it really is ot possible to enjoy it without the juice "support!"

Also if you get proper Wodka, never mix it in the glass. The exception is Spiritus, which can be 80 or more per cent, and then there are various things you can add to make a very nice drink by diluting it in half.

How to make this dilution is best left to experts. In fact I would say avoid Spiritus at all costs, unless you are in good experienced Polish company as it can easily kill you if you get it wrong. I doubt you could legally buy it in UK in any case.

Enjoy! From George

Dear Julian,

It is very enjoyable when done right, isn't it!?

George

George,

A Polish colleague of mine has just brought me from home a bottle of "Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka" (Special Herbs Bitter Vodka) - are you familiar with it? He says it's the best cure for an 'upset stomach' known to man!

No alcohol allowed for me on the ship I work on so I will have to wait until next week when I go home to try it!

Mark

Lovely stuff!

My one Polish friend's coming back tomorrow with [hopefully] some of this, which he calls "stomach" Wodka!

The method with that is different, but it is full strength, so don't be deceived by its sweetish taste! You could down quite a lot without realising how strong it is! You cannot seem to find it in UK, which is a shame. Lucky you for having some!!!

Only drink one or two small glasses at a time, and enjoy it as it is sweet and very nice, but what makes it really lovely is to squeeze some real lemon juice into the glass as well.

Don't use that horrid fake stuff that comes in the plastic yellow lemon shaped thing. One way to really ruin it! Yes! And no doubt it would cure an upset stomach, but you don't have to have one to enjoy it!

George

Thanks George,

I'll try it with and without the lemon.........no harm in experimenting!

Mark

Kindly I was given 0.5 l of Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka this eveing! I had a feeling that might be my friend's choice!

Dear Frank, Perhaps what I should have said was that straight Wódka is more enjoyable with a support of juice! For sure it is indeed drinkable straight without support, but I prefer it with, having been on so many good Polish parties where this is the way!

Of course "stomach" vodka is rather nice without additional juice in another glass!

Catch you soon! I was quite pleased to get the proper Polish characters into the name of the special I was given today!

George

Na zdrowie. Vivat

Photo courtesy of Munch!

Julian, have you got the one of the feet? Either for here or for Munch's Thread!

ATB from George

Thanks Julian:

Here it is. from left, the feet of Munch, GFFJ, and Julian H!



George

quote:

Dear Friends,

How would you describe the taste of Polish Vodka?

That was the start of this thread posted on the 14th March 2006. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then.

It still seems incredible to me that I got to work the next day after my first encounter with Polish Vodka!

Sincerely thanks to everyone, past and present, who has given me no little amount of joy through posts in this thread, now two years old!

George [Fredrik of old].

PS: Two years ago the forum clock was right! Both this and the OP were made at eleven minutes past midnight!

Impromptu Party!

So last night I decided to go to the Off-licence and buy three bottle of Poland's best beer! And met Krzystoff who was so kind as to invite me to his Wedding in Poland last summer!

"What are you going to do with that?" [Silly question if you ask me, but never mind!], and then:

Where? [Now we are getting somewhaere!].

Back at his house we settled to watching Madagascar [a film in animation, which is quite funny even with Polish dubbing!], and really ended up having a fine conversation. Krzys suddenly said, "Now let's speed this up a bit, and plonked a litre of Vodka on the table!"

One Pole, one Lithuanian, and one Englishman, - as Renata went to bed! [Probably in disgust!], sat there and enjoyed this in Russian style. Only one shot glass, and not enough juice.

The idea is to drink the shot, refill it, and pass it left! Not nearly so good as the idea of a toast for each time, but fine if all the shot glasses have gone somewhere - broken, the bin, ... possibly ...

Well I cannot remember going home, but I still went to work, and was more or less feeling alright by the time I came home this afternoon! The best does are not always the planned ones!

The Vodka was Smirnoff, and actually was not too bad after a few beers!

George

PS: First BBQ of the year at home this evening. Cooked the sausage in the slight drizzle and almost complete dark, and came in doors to eat at the table, but still nice!

There is a Radio Four Programme at 20:00 hours GMT on the issue of the return to Poland of those who have come here to work in the last three years. It seems as many as 30% may already have left, and I would predict that this might actually rise to 60% in the next couple of years.

The programme aims to examine the economic cost to the UK of loosing so many skilled and hard working people so quickly.

I shall be listening with interest. In my view the kind of immigrant we would want to keep will be too proud of his or her own country and culture to want to stay.

I predicted this return two years ago, even to incredulous Poles! I have to say that for Poland, this is nothing but good news.

George

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
I shall be listening with interest. In my view the kind of immigrant we would want to keep will be too proud of his or her own country and culture to want to stay.
George

I'm sorry George, if Poles are leaving it is purely (IMHO) for financial reasons. I, as a seafarer (and my comments are based purely on my own experiences), have been working with Polish people for MANY years. Previously, before their introduction to the EC, their wages would have seemed paltry to us but was at a level far greater than they could have achieved in a similar job back home.
If an employer pays a minimum wage (irrespective of nationality) and bearing in mind the way the cost of living has risen in Poland I can understand the Exodus. It is a real shame as I have many good Polish mates (I am visiting one close to Gdansk this Summer) but the fact is it is not economically viable for them to stay here. I also know that a few years ago they were preferring to go to Eire as the social benefits were greater.

I know this is written in a rather simplistic form, and could go a lot deeper - I in no way mean to offend anyone but only speak from EXPERIENCE.

Mark

P.S. George - that Wodka with the herbs is going down a treat!

Dear Mark,

That the Poles will return home for economic reasons is not open to doubt. That is why they came. They came to a country in spite of all, having been left to the Russians in 1945 by Churchill could not force Roosvelt to back him against Stalin's demand, in the first place for purely ecomonic reasons, but where they certainly felt a certain cultural affinity. Half a century of Soviet inspired economics reduced their nation to a very poor country, but it is bouncing back faster than anyone could have reasonably guessed. Thank goodness for that.

They could earn enough in two, three or four years here to set themselves up at home, and now their own economy has made tremendous headway, so they have good employment oportunities at home. Good on them, and the best of luck putting their country on an equal footing with their Western neighbours!

One only has to look at the slip of sterling against the zloty over the last two years and at an extra-ordinary rate in the last six months to see that their departure is absolutely inevitable. It is a fact that they will return Poland to being one of the great countries of Europe again.

I shall miss the Poles who have become my friends here when they leave, but no doubt my visits to Poland will become regular, and perhaps one day become a one way ticket!

But don't doubt the tremendous pride in, and ability to survive as, a culture of the Poles. They really do care that their country does well. Think where most of the [disposable] money being earned in the UK was subsequently invested. In Poland. That indicates the real priority!

The Poles came here in large numbers by no accident. The Romanians and Bulgarians will not replace them at least completely. They are natural Latins and would prefer the climate and culture of Spain and Italy. There is quite a divide in this respect [and others] with the Poles!

ATB from George

George,

Nicely put, but nothing against my argument (hardly). But that's ok.

Mark

P.S. I'm enjoying the "stomach vodka" - feel free to mail me if you want to share some!

Dear Mark,

I could hardly make a case against your point because I agree with you!

The Poles I know are tough, slightly hard nosed [read: could be seen as "totally stubborn" if they think you are talking rot!], simply refuse to give up on a job or idea, extra-ordinarily workish, fiercely loyal, dreamers of dreams, usually devout but not evangelically Christian [even if this only amounts to not taking the Lord's name in vain in some cases], swear like mad when things go wrong[!], and capable of affection without embarrassment which leads to an incredible kindness. They make bad enemies ...

Thus they noted straight away that I was not quite an Englishman at all. Though they could not have known that I am half Norwegian, and my best aspect is! I took about twenty minutes after being given my new Polish collegues to work with nearly three years ago, for all of us to realise this was going to work! I made one very good friend, and one honest collegue. In twelve months we had not one row, and I was introduced to the Polish culture. Happily invited to Polish Parties where no other non-Pole was involved, time after time. I feel this was one of the greatest priveleges of my life.

The Poles leaving Britain will be missed more than has yet been realised. I am already missing one or two ...

I have a bottle of stomach Wodka open. Just half a shot before sleep each night. Marvelous!

George

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
Dear Mark,

I could hardly make a case against your point because I agree with you!
I have a bottle of stomach Wodka open. Just half a shot before sleep each night. Marvelous!

George

I'll drink to that George...........one more shot.....mmm lovely!!

Mark