Drink of the Day: Sobieski Vodka

If you know anyone with Polish ancestry, you should buy them a drink today.  Here’s why . . .

September 12, 1683

Thanks to Polish King Jan III Sobieski and his feather-wearing, winged Hussar cavalry, outnumbered Christians defeated Muslim infidels at the gates of Vienna.

Sobieski later wrote, “Veni, vidi, Deus vicit – I came, I saw, God conquered!”

Sobieski attributed his victory to Our Lady of Czestochowa, whose intercession he had sought at her shrine in Poland before marching to battle. 

The pope honored the victory by declaring September 12 as the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary.

To honor Sobieski and Our Lady today, we drink vodka, especially Sobieski Vodka from Poland.   It is so smooth, that you can drink it straight.   It comes in a variety of flavors: original, peach, mandarin, melon, vanilla, and espresso.

We especially recommend the espresso flavor because a Capuchin friar named Marco d’Aviano actually led troops in the Battle of Vienna and legend says that he discovered coffee beans left behind by the retreating Turks.   And cappuccino is made from espresso.  

You can also make a cocktail – Sobieski Espresso

            1 oz. Sobieski espresso vodka (or regular vodka)

            1 oz. Kahlua

            1 oz. fresh espresso

            Raspberries for garnish

For a toast, you can use Sobieski’s:  “I came, I saw, God conquered!” and “Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother!”

After a few of these drinks, you can hug your Polish friends and say, “I really love you, man!”

From: Drinking With The Saints: The Sinner’s Guide To A Holy Happy Hour by Michael P. Foley