What Polish Spirit would you bring back to the States?

Nowadays the amount of Polish alcohol on the market (especially in Chicago and New York) is pretty large. What are some things which you cannot find in the States you would bring with you if you were travelling between the two countries?

wiki

Poisonous, illegal and tasty, what's not to like? :)

Previously it was illegal due to coumarin (a rat poison) from the Bison Grass. However, due to the trace amounts I believe it was finally approved by the FDA and I've even seen it ordered at bars Stateside. My current idea is to bring back some Miód Pitny but I'm not sure if there isn't a better idea out there. Zubrowka is is not a terribly high end item and bringing it back would be a waste of the 1 liter cap in my opinion.

I think that you are confusing Zubrowka and ZU. As far as I know (which is pretty far, given that I know the brand ambassador and the owner of the brands) Zubrowka continues to be illegal in the USA but a reformulated version is being marketed under the name ZU. From memory the U.S. Patent Office refused to allow Zubrowka to be registered as a trademark, saying that it was a generic label.

Miod Pitny's decent enough. If you want something different, why not a bottle of Siwucha and maybe a jarzebiak? The more upscale shops ofthen sell Starka - the stuff that's been buried in a barrel for years, but that is expensive.

Nothing strong like wódka; just some good old-fashioned piwo. I'd settle for some Lech!

becksi wrote:


you can find plenty of Lech in the USA.

Unfortunately, not in Southern California. Unless I want to pay an arm & a leg for delivery costs. Some of the Polish festivals may have it though.

yeah, california is about as un-polish as it gets.

I just got back from Poland... Zubrowka in PL is MUCH better than the Zubrowka in the USA! It is still illegal in the USA and the knock-off versions do not compare. In the USA you can get a bottle that will say Zubrowka on it and also one called Bison Grass Vodka. The US one's are OK but do not compare to the REAL thing.

Just my 2 zloty :)

Czesc!

The initial knockoffs looked neon green. The newer ones must be reformulated. As far as Starka, I've already brought some of the young one and an 18 back with me on prior occasions. Jarzebiak is a decent idea if I can find some. Will take some looking but there is a pretty decent shop nearby on Dolna here in Warsaw. I want to get some Siwucha but I've not seen it in any stores around town.

Can you get BECHEROVKA the Czech spirit in the USA.

Yeah it's about the same price in the States as it is here, maybe a dollar or two difference.