Cooking Lesson #83— Polish Princess Cocktail

Joan (Dorszynski) Vieweger

How you doin’? It’s that magic day of the week and the best hour of the day—Happy Hour. Joan asked me to make a cocktail named after her—so here is, The Joan. Wait a minute, I think she had a Polish Princess Cocktail in mind. Everyone thinks of Joan as the Polish Princess. She has a sweatshirt with Polish Princess emblazoned across the front. So, I looked hard and far to find a suitable beverage for an exceptional lady.

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The Polish Princess

I first had to find a Polish liquor—that was easy—Sobieski Vodka. Sobieski Poland is known as the birthplace of vodka and one of the great vodka-producing countries of the world. While Poland may be better known for its potato vodkas, Sobieski Vodka will show you how great Polish rye vodka can be. Their claim, Just Water, Rye and no BS.
 
There are few vodkas that have a premium taste and remain within a budget-friendly price range—just about $12 a bottle. This Polish vodka is relatively new to the U.S. market (2007). However, Sobieski claims to be the number one vodka in Poland. Now, if people in the country known for its vodka like it, you know it must be good and it is!
 
The story of Sobieski (Sobi) Vodka itself is rather short but its roots are deep in the Polish heritage of vodka. The brand name is taken from King Jan III Sobieski, a 17th-century ruler who is regarded by some as "the last great King of Poland." Sobi has been distilled in Poland since 1864. It uses Dankowski rye from Poland's Mazowse fields as the base. The vodka's water is naturally filtered from Oligocene epoch springs. The vodka is distilled in a continuous column still.
 
This is "real vodka," a pure form of distilled spirit that is relatively tasteless while leaving your palate clean and refreshed. It does not have the heavy alcohol notes found in many of the cheaper brands. Sobi is not afraid to call itself the premium vodka, a moniker typically reserved for those in the $25 to $50 price range, but that description is fitting. Just because it costs less does not mean that it should taste like it.
 
Ingredients
2 ounces Sobieski Vodka
2 ounces coconut water
2 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce cranberry juice
Garnish: a wedge of pineapple dipped in toasted minced coconut  
 
Directions: 

1. Pour the vodka, coconut water and pineapple juice into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Strain into a tall glass over ice.
3. Add a splash of cranberry juice and serve.
4. Garnish with a pineapple wedge dipped in toasted minced coconut. 
5. Na Zdrowie (Cheers!)

ChefSecret:  Sobi may be on to something with their organic and gluten free vodkas that come in flavors including raspberry, espresso and vanilla.  Summertime is here and refreshing cool drinks are right on the horizon. 
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