Granted, Polish food may not be the healthiest out there, but it is definitely one of the most delicious ones. My goal is to inform you, among other things, that there are dozens of different types of Polish kielbasa, not just the one you see in the supermarket. My goal is to let you in on some secrets of Polish home cooking. Trust me, the Polish meals you buy at a restaurant don't measure up to home food. But to make sure the blog is off to a good start, let's begin with a recipe that has nothing to do with food but is nevertheless a huge part of Polish culinary tradition: homemade 95% alcohol Spirytus with honey.
Ingredients include a bottle of Spirytus Rektyfikowany, honey of your choice, and boiled water (amount depending on how strong you want the final product to be).
Spirytus can be easily found in liquor stores in neighborhoods with significant Polish population (Chicago, New York, Connecticut, etc.). Depending on local law, it can be either 95% or 75% alcohol. Although I've recently seen 95% spirytus for the first time in New York.
Now, on to the recipe. It is quite simple . Assuming you're working with a .75L bottle of spirytus, prepare a .5L mixture of boiled water (let it cool down a bit) and honey (amount according to preference, but at least .2L). Mix spirytus with honey water mixture in a previously prepared appropriate size bottle or you can mix it in a pot and then pour it into bottles. Remember, the strength of final product depends solely on your taste. I usually try to keep it at around 50% - 60%. The hardest part comes next. In order to allow the ingredients to mix well, set aside your ready honey spirytus in a warm place for a few days. Once or twice a day give your bottle a good shake. Na zdrowie!
