Krupnik

Krupnik is a sweet, spiced honey liqueur from the borderlands of Poland and Lithuania, made by warming honey together with a grain or vodka-based spirit and a blend of warming botanicals — most often cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom and citrus zest, sometimes with black pepper, ginger, saffron or bay. The honey is gently heated with the spices so its aroma and colour bloom, the mixture is combined with neutral spirit and sugar, then rested and filtered to a clear, golden liquid, usually bottled somewhere between about 35% and 45% ABV. The result is rich, viscous and honey-sweet, tasting of warm baking spice, vanilla and floral honey over a clean spirit heat. It is a traditional winter and celebration drink, famously served warm — heated in a pan, sometimes flamed, and drunk in small measures against the cold. Both Poland and Lithuania claim it as their own; the Lithuanian version, spelled krupnikas, tends to be sweeter and stronger, while the shared tradition is one of the oldest surviving honey-liqueur styles of Eastern Europe.