Tatanka Cocktail Recipe
Bison grass vodka with cloudy apple juice — grassy, faintly of vanilla, and unmistakably Polish.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 12%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Vodka50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Apple juice150 ml (5.1 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice10 ml (0.3 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in the vodka and lemon juice.
- Top with cloudy apple juice and stir once.
- Garnish with an apple slice.
Garnish
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
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Apple juice
- Cloudy apple juice is fruitier and more acidic than clear; made with clear juice the drink stays flatter, and a squeeze of lemon closes the gap.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
The Story
Named after the bison of the Białowieża forest, where the grass that flavours the vodka grows; the apple juice is not optional locally.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Tatanka mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Tatanka?
- Roughly 12% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a 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 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.