When I have a mixed drink, it’s almost always based on vodka. I like it icy cold right out of the freezer. When I saw the WarsawPass featured a museum dedicated to my favorite spirit, I had to see it. There were many options for the tour, all including a tasting room, including Connoisseur, which gives you a quick mixology class for a custom cocktail and certificate, a Foodie pass that includes a 60 euro credit for the attached restaurant, and simple tasting. I went simple.
Unlike most of the museums in Warsaw that give multiple options for audio guides, guided tours, tour books and maps, the Vodka Museum can only be seen by reservation and as part of a guided tour and not all guided tours are in English.
According to the website, the 3:30pm tour was in English and the perfect time to reach the Chopin concert in Old Town by 6pm with a SLIGHT possibility of grabbing dinner before. I got up too late for breakfast and skipped lunch because I assumed I would eat before/after the Palace of Culture. Since I was running behind, I figured I could either grab a snack at the attached restaurant right before/after and then maybe grab a late dinner.
I had attempted to reserve a spot at 3:30pm but the Warsaw Pass had not been activated in person, so the code didn’t work. I saw there were 23 spots open so I figured I’d chance it and just sign up at the Museum right before the tour. What’s that saying about “don’t assume”…
I managed to streak through the Museum door at exactly 3:29 pm and went straight to the ticket counter with the hope there is a “Polish time” vs a “German time” and I’m not REALLY late. After some pushback from the ticket seller and my best assurance I should still be included, they held the tour up for a couple of minutes so I could get a wristband and join the other six participants.
The tour starts with a 7 minute video of how Polish vodka started and I learned how important graphic design was in both the bottle and label design.
The rest of the tour is moving through a series of rooms with interactive displays. Quite frankly, for such a small group, we could have easily carved off a few minutes per room (improving my chances for an after tour snack) but they pace each tour, large or small, based on schedule.
Our tour guide Daniel was hilarious and rocked a blondish/green mohawk. This map shows the evolution of vodka from the earliest monastery versions through aquavit to where we have it today.
Once vodka production reached the population as a whole, it took an interesting turn and recipes were very custom to the region.
Since there weren’t any regulatory bodies, brewers could add additional items with abandon, including one recipe that included capon (castrated rooster) along with berries and herbs.
There was also a variety of stills that could be used.
Peasants were often short-paid and their landlords gave them vodka as part of their salary, partially to keep them happy and partially to keep them semi-drunk so they wouldn’t revolt. There was a big difference in both perception and production between the common man’s vodka and those of the landowners, who justified consumption in a number of ways, such as depicted below.
The physical appearance of vodka bottles were both important and unregulated. Right before the tasting room, we entered a room with a display of all Polish vodka bottles and their base-less glasses (so you would have to drink the full amount of vodka at a go because you couldn’t put the glass down without spilling).
Bottles from the 1950s
Surprisingly, the tasting at the end of the tour was my least favorite part. We were given four tiny servings to try, including a potato only vodka (very flat and tasteless), one with mixed grains, one that would definitely grow hair on your chest and the final version, which was filtered with charcoal. I might have had a flashback to the day after my parent’s International dinner club parties with that one, where you sneak the last sip in a glass to discover the wonder of drinking.
The tasting ended at 4:15 pm and given my direction misshaps, I splurged on an Uber to deliver me to the Chopin concert in Old Town.
Total value realized on Warsaw Pass = $25/$50 USD.