This is a Polugar Vodka Martini. This brand recreates the tastes and recipes of the time of Peter The Great, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Pushkin. The difference? It’s distilled from the same grains used to make bread (it used to be known as “Bread Wine”). This is their No.3 recipe, with added caraway, but not enough to be overpowering. It has a warm bread like taste with the aromatics just coming through enough. Imagine a few caraway seeds on rye and you’ve got it. I added 1/7th dash of Dolin Vermouth to it and shook well. It’s excellent.
The website states: “Polugar is the true legendary Russian bread wine brought back to life using the traditional technologies and recipes from the 18th and 19th centuries. It hasn’t been produced for the last 120 years, is 38.5% alcohol strength, smells of rye bread and has a soft pleasant taste.
The lost symbol of the Russian wining and dining traditions is brought back thanks to the effort of dozens of people who are keen on the idea of restoring the historic justice and bringing back the former popularity of the Russian distillates to the level they were at their heyday during the era of distillation at manors of noblemen.
The taste of Polugar is unlike any alcoholic beverage currently produced. Everyone who tried it is fond of its natural bready taste and aroma, and cannot find a single known alcoholic beverage it can be compared to. Polugar is neither vodka nor liquor, it’s a different category of distillates in the Russian and international market – rye distillate. Polugar is the new symbol of national pride and restoration of Russian cuisine traditions – top class bread wine.”
It’s somewhat rare,I’ve only ever seen it on sale in Russia, but if you see it (I bought mine in Moscow airport duty free) snap them up. This is truly a Martini for good friends and Emperors. (and anyone named Peter). Davai!