Vodka is commonly used to make nalewka.
Nalewka is a traditional Polish liqueur. Typically between 40% and 45% alcohol, it is made by combining one form of alcohol with other ingredients, usually spices, fruit, or herbs. Each variety of nalewka has its own name based on its ingredients. In Russia, it is known as nalivka.
Commercial nalewka, brewed commercially and privately, generally has a lower alcohol content than homemade bottles. The process is quite simple. Alcohol, usually vodka, is poured over the ingredients to be infused with and allowed to steep. After about six weeks, the flavor of the ingredients is transferred to the alcohol, and the resulting liquid is added to a sugar solution. This mixture is left to sit for a few more weeks to allow the flavors to meld.
Once the basic mixture is made, the resulting liquid is usually seasoned with other ingredients such as lemon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, allspice, cinnamon or vanilla. Although the basic procedure is the same for different types of nalewka, there is no typical recipe. Home brews can change every time they are made.
Nalewka is the name of the liquor, but the different types have different names. These names usually refer to the ingredient that is mixed with the alcohol, or may refer to where the drink was made. Tarninowka is a berry-infused variety that was first made in the town of Tarnow near Krakow, which gave it its name. Nalewka named for its ingredients includes Smorodina, made with black currant, Morelówka flavored with apricot, Imbirówka with ginger, and Piołunówka flavored with absinthe.
There is almost no limit to the ingredients with which the alcohol can be impregnated. While the alcohol is usually vodka, other ingredients can range from coffee and honey to juniper and fennel. Many Eastern European families had their own traditional recipes that were kept as family secrets. The father of the family would be responsible for the fermentation and only after his death would the recipe be passed on to the eldest sons of the family.
To drink it correctly, the liquor must be tasted little by little and savored. There are several traditions that revolve around the liquor, and while many have fallen out of favor, they remain an important part of nalewka history. In the old days, families would prepare and bottle a batch of nalewka for a child’s baptism, and then open the bottles at the wedding. Unmarried girls gave a nalewka with heather, and when offered to a suitor, it was a sign of approval.