Szarlotka (Tatanka) Cocktail Recipe
Bison grass vodka and cloudy apple juice, tasting uncannily like a slice of apple pie turned into a cold highball.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 10%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Bison grass vodka (Żubrówka)40 ml (1.4 oz)
- Cloudy apple juice120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the bison grass vodka over the ice.
- Top with cold cloudy apple juice.
- Stir gently and garnish with a thin apple slice.
Garnish
A thin apple slice.
What it tastes like
Fruit notes come forward, it has a green, botanical backdrop and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Bison grass vodka (Żubrówka)
- Vodka infused with bison grass, giving vanilla, almond and dry-hay notes. Plain vodka still works, but that hay character is simply absent.
The Story
Named after the Polish apple cake, the Szarlotka pairs bison grass vodka with cloudy apple juice; the grass's vanilla-and-hay note echoes the dessert. It is also widely known as Tatanka.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Szarlotka (Tatanka) mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Szarlotka (Tatanka)?
- Roughly 10% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Szarlotka (Tatanka) be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Szarlotka (Tatanka) hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Apple in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.