Piołunówka () is a very bitter alcoholic infusion (Polish: "

nalewka Nalewka (), plural nalewki, is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Poland. Similar to medicinal tinctures, it is usually 40% to 45% alcohol by volume, though some can be as strong as 75%. Nalewka is created by macerating and / or infusing variou ...

") made by macerating wormwood in alcohol. Its name comes from ''piołun'', which means ''wormwood'' in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

. It is becoming popular due to the recent

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historical ...

revival but has been well known before absinthe. It differs from absinthe because it is macerated and rarely distilled (see the recipe below), whereas absinthe is additionally distilled. Piołunówka is not simply an amateur's version of

but can be perceived as its predecessor. For centuries wormwood-based elixirs have been used as digestive aids and disease preventatives. 1Piolunowka

Thujone

Piołunowka has much higher levels of thujone than absinthe because it is not distilled. Many people produce it today to try to feel the "absinthe effect" because of its higher thujone levels, although it is not well known how thujone plays a role in these purported effects and in fact is a known poison. In Poland Piołunówka is considered a cure for problems with digestive tract and is believed to enhance appetite. Therefore, traditionally it is consumed in small amounts.

Availability

Piołunówka is typically hard to find outside of Poland, while wormwood is available at many herb stores, it is not always of sufficient quality for making piołunówka.

Ingredients

Apart from fresh wormwood usually some other ingredients are used such as: peppercorns, black tea, raisins, honey,

geranium ''Geranium'' is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in ...

leaves and

hypericum ''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hype ...

flowers. All herbs used should be freshly picked, not dried (apart from tea). The alcohol used is plain vodka or spirit. It can be easily produced at home, as it is generally speaking an alcohol in which herbs and other ingredients were soaked over a period of about 2 weeks and then filtered. It does not require aging.

History

The recipe dates back to at least the 16th century, as Piołunówka is described in

Stefan Falimierz Stefan Falimierz, or Stefan Falimirz, was a Polish physician and botanist. He served at the court of the voivode Jan Tęczyński in Kraśnik. Falimierz is known for his 1534 work ''On Herbs and Their Potency'' (''O ziolach y o moczy gich''). The bo ...

' 1534 opus ''On Herbs and Their Potency'' (''O ziolach y o moczy ich''). As such, it has traditionally been made in noble manors, though the recipes might have varied in their ingredients and preparations. The last widely available piołunówka was distilled in Lwów by

J. A. Baczewski J. A. Baczewski was a Polish company best known for its fine spirits such as vodka and gin. The factory, dating back to the late 18th century, was based in Lwów (Lviv) and until 1939 was one of two most popular Polish export goods. History In ...

distillery up to 1939. The modern version appeared with the same label released by Polmos in Stargard Gdański who discontinued the production in the 1990s.

References

Cieślak, J. "Domowy wyrób win", Watra, Warszawa 1999, pp. (273–274) Falimierz, S. "O paleniu wódek z ziół", Kraków 1534 Kurowski, J., N., "Wypalanie wódki", A. Brzezina i Komp., Warszawa 1829 Piątkowski, A. "Gorzelnik i piwowar doskonały", Groblowskiey Drukarnia, Kraków 1808

Thujone

Availability

Ingredients

History

References

See also