Dear Friends,

How would you describe the taste of Polish Vodka?

At 44 I have never tasted Vodka of any origin before, but today I was given a bottle of Pan Tadeusz, which is one of the classics of its type from Poland according to my friend and work collegue who just returnrned from a holiday with his familly. A very nice gift and a very nice drink. I only put an inch into a very small glass, but it tastes like nothing I have tried before, the strongest of which was of course Aquavit.

The point is I have no idea how to describe the taste, but it is smooth, which has surprised me. I expected firewater, to be honest!

All the best from Fredrik

Second inch! Fredrik

My dear fellow Frederik,

In 1994 I went to work in Slovakia as a teacher of English and at our initial reception, some 30-odd new teachers were given this small glass of a clear cold liquid. It was smooth and after the few more glasses of it that some of us accepted we started to feel rather relaxed...

I did not realise until the following day that this mysterious clear liquid was actually vodka. I'd had the usual fare of "vodka" in the past in British pubs or at home in here that tasted as though it had razor blades in it unless diluted with some kind of mixer, be it lemonade, soda water or whatever.

I also woke up the following day without any hangover although probably still slightly pissed.

The reality is that UK-produced "vodka" is as rough as a bear's arse, and drinking it neat is the reserve practice for hard-core "alcoholics".

It's not just Polish vodka that tastes so sublime chilled and on its lonesome, but pretty much any vodka from the East.

Try Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya, Finlandia. etc plus a few obscure ones from Uzbekistan, Khazakstan etc and you get the same joyful smoothness.

To add:

I was the Best Man at my mate's wedding in Tashkent back in 2001 and the father-in-law-to-be of my mate supplied 100 bottles of Russian Smirnoff for the reception - very nice stuff. Suffice to say that when he came to the UK later that year and tried to knock back a shot of our poor relation "Smirnoff," his faced turned to beetroot and under his grimace and chocking, he asked for tomato juice...

dear Steve,

The third inch has just been poured, and certainly it is bloody marvelous, as you say, straight, which is how Jarek told me to try it!

The anaesthetic quality is also considerable, so I guess it is time to hit the hay!

Apparently, my two Polish friends have a plan to get me completely anaesthetised one day, which I now think I can go along with quite well!

All the best from Frerdrik

Go with the flow mate. Vodka (the real stuff) is the spirit of the gods. The trouble is, it's highly addictive because it is so kind on your gullet and stomach...

Unfortunately it wrecks your liver as much as any other alcohol without you realising it.

I say binge on it in moderation, i.e: get wasted then abstain from alcohol for a while afterwards.

Oh, and between each shot necked, eat something light like a canopé of biscuit, cheese, olives salami, onions, caviar, whatever.

Na Zdravoviev!

Dear Steve,

Advice well noted. Thanks from Fredrik

Three will do for tonight!

As I said on Friday to my other Polish friend before he returened for a fortnight, Skol!

Okay four...

I shared a bottle or three of the best Russian Vodka with a bunch Of Red Army gernerals in a private steam bath in Moscow (for senior party officials and senior military). After a hideous lunch (everything I ate in Moscow tasted like it had been drenched in parafin before being stored in cans for 50 years)we retired to the steam bath lounges where we drank hideous quantities of vodka before going into the steam room to sweat it out again. Many of the generals wore woolen hats and gloves in the steam room and I wondered why until someone pulled open a vent and in came the hottest steam I've ever experienced and it burnt any exposed extremity, everyone crouched down on the floor to avoid the worst of it. After a few moments everyone stood, about 20 fat generals plus moi and my boss all totally naked in a half light and then everyone started whacking everyone else with leaves and twigs - (they are a bloody weird lot those Ivans)when I could not take the heat anymore I went outside (they all laughed at the wimp)and jumped in an ice cold pool of brown water - brown from the leaves (that have accumulated since 1917). When I could not take the cold any longer (about 2.5 secs)I went back in the steam room (they all laughed at the wimp)and I repeated this amusing show many times and sweated out the vodka in no time at all. After that I was bundled into a private room for a massage and I lay contended on a table covered in towells and then in walked the biggest hag-bitch from hell I've ever seen and actually locked the door and set about pummeling me till I was good for nothing and then pummled me somemore at which point I would happily have jumped back into the ice cold brown water just to escape her. If she had asked me for any Intellegence I would have told her anything...anything. When I went back out to the lounge I could see all the Ivans thought this highly amusing. My Colonel got a pretty blond messuese and I got King Kong's granny.

The thing that amazed me was just how many flavours of vodka the Russians have. I got pissed enough to roger my translator one night and she had hairy legs - yep it's potent stuff that Russian vodka.

Five went, and six is in place. Maybe ther eis a reason, Poles are both pasionate and lovely. So are Finns as I know! Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Five went, and six is in place. Maybe ther eis a reason, Poles are both pasionate and lovely. So are Finns as I know! Fredrik

I've met pretty young Finns who could drink any Royal Marine under any table and still wake up bright and early full of the joys of life. They are a tough breed the Finns.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Five went, and six is in place. Maybe ther eis a reason, Poles are both pasionate and lovely. So are Finns as I know! Fredrik

Fredrik,

Go to bed! It will only end in tears.

Erik

Right in a way, but a blast is needed sometimes! Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Right in a way, but a blast is needed sometimes! Fred

Yes indeedy.

Keep in touch, Dear erik. You are one of the good ones! Fred

Editeted for a filures of th iuse of the pleural.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Keep in touch, Dear erik. You are one of the good ones! Fred

Editeted for a filures of th iuse of the pleural.

May I refer the honourable gentleman to the post I made some moments ago?

Erik,

One eye shut, I admit I am pissed! Fredrik

It's a nice feeeling though, one eye shut, isn't it?

[Both eyes still open and focussed] I'm off to bed...

PS: Don't forget a glass of water before you go...

Bowl of Fmownkaltes with a pomy od milf, is good. fred

Good night to y'all/

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Bowl of Fmownkaltes with a pomy od milf, is good. fred

Good night to y'all/

Sweetdreams fredrik

Cheers Fredrik,

Good Health!

Ali