Since pretty much any day can be called a good day for a bit of vodka, the fact that Oct. 4 is National Vodka Day may not make your pulse race any faster. But vodka has a long, colourful history in Canada, sharing the stage with other spirits but always keeping its place near the top of the heap. Wyborowa, Poland’s vodka of choice, has been in our country since 1927, one of the very first in fact, staying the course through several separation bids and enough Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cups to last nearly a month of celebrations, almost one day for each Cup.
The bottle now sports a little tag, advising one and all of its new nickname, Wybo, making it easy to remember whether you are just beginning the evening, or reluctantly contemplating its conclusion. This is a very clean vodka, smooth and lingering on the finish, nice on ice, or straight out of the freezer. It is also ideal for cocktails, not over-announcing itself in that delicate, ultra-dry martini.
Wybo is still produced exactly the same way it has always been made. The recipe has not changed at all, and features rye grains from Polish farms, double distilled. A special Wyborowa Exquisite Single Estate Vodka is even packaged in a bottle designed by Frank Gehry (though it is, sadly, not available in Canada). How many cases he received for his work is anybody’s guess.
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