Home > Terms > English (EN) > Krupnik

Krupnik

Krupnik, or Krupnikas as it is known in Lithuanian, is a traditional sweet alcoholic drink similar to a liqueur, based on grain spirit and honey, popular in Poland and Lithuania. Mass-produced versions consist of 40%-50% (80-100 proof) alcohol, but traditional versions will use 80% - 100% grain alcohol as the base. Honey, in particular clover honey, is the main ingredient to add sweetness, as well as up to 50 different herbs. There are many versions and some recipes are passed down through generations. It originated in the territories of present day Lithuania and is sometimes heated before being served.

It is a distant relative of the medovukha (Russian) or miód pitny (Polish), a honey-made spirit popular in all Slavic countries.

Legend has it that the recipe was created by the Benedictine monks at a monastery in Niaśviž which was founded by Mikołaj Krzysztof "Sierotka" Radziwiłł. Known in Poland and Lithuania at least since 16th century, it soon became popular among the szlachta of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. There are numerous recipes preserved to our times in countless szlachta diaries. Krupnik was also used as a common medicinal disinfectant to Polish soldiers in World War II.

At times, spicy seasonings and herbs are added to flavour. The brand of the honey and the ratio of seasonings are key points for final taste of krupnik. It may be served hot, at room temperature or chilled. A specific sort of krupnik which contains more herbs and less honey is brewed by Karaims.

0
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Synonym(s):
  • Blossary:
  • Industry/Domain: Beverages
  • Category: Vodka
  • Company:
  • Product:
  • Acronym-Abbreviation:
Collect to Blossary

Member comments

You have to log in to post to discussions.

Terms in the News

Billy Morgan

Sports; Snowboarding

The British snowboarder Billy Morgan has landed the sport’s first ever 1800 quadruple cork. The rider, who represented Great Britain in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, was in Livigno, Italy, when he achieved the man-oeuvre. It involves flipping four times, while body also spins with five complete rotations on a sideways or downward-facing axis. The trick ...

Marzieh Afkham

Broadcasting & receiving; News

Marzieh Afkham, who is the country’s first foreign ministry spokeswoman, will head a mission in east Asia, the state news agency reported. It is not clear to which country she will be posted as her appointment has yet to be announced officially. Afkham will only be the second female ambassador Iran has had. Under the last shah’s rule, Mehrangiz Dolatshahi, a ...

Weekly Packet

Language; Online services; Slang; Internet

Weekly Packet or "Paquete Semanal" as it is known in Cuba is a term used by Cubans to describe the information that is gathered from the internet outside of Cuba and saved onto hard drives to be transported into Cuba itself. Weekly Packets are then sold to Cuban's without internet access, allowing them to obtain information just days - and sometimes hours - after it ...

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

Banking; Investment banking

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is an international financial institution established to address the need in Asia for infrastructure development. According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia needs $800 billion each year for roads, ports, power plants or other infrastructure projects before 2020. Originally proposed by China in 2013, a signing ...

Spartan

Online services; Internet

Spartan is the codename given to the new Microsoft Windows 10 browser that will replace Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer. The new browser will be built from the ground up and disregard any code from the IE platform. It has a new rendering engine that is built to be compatible with how the web is written today. The name Spartan is named after the ...

Featured Terms

badr tarik
  • 0

    Terms

  • 57

    Blossaries

  • 2

    Followers

Industry/Domain: People Category: Actors

Paul Newman

Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history, Paul Leonard Newman was born in January 1925, in Cleveland, ...