Part of the tradition of Dyngus Day is for boys to throw water on girls and spank them with pussy willows. The tradition dates back almost a thousand years (as best historians can tell), and the pussy willow ended up being used in place of the palm, which was not obtainable in Poland. These would instead be blessed by priests, and used in this post lent celebration as sacred charms – thought to do everything from prevent lightning strikes to bringing good health and fortune.. To celebrate these lovely catkins, and the tradition of Dyngus Day, we thought it only apt to name our drink The Pussy Willow.
The Pussy Willow
The Pussy Willow has a beautiful orange nose with touches of honey and cinnamon. A taste gives a pop of beautiful brightness from the fresh orange, quickly followed by notes of baked strudel covered in honey. The sweetness is balanced and the bubbles give a nice palate refreshing character. Thanks to the low A.B.V. it also won’t put you out of commission before you enjoy too many pierogis!
Drink Notes & Recommendations
We made two versions of the Pussy Willow, one with fresh squeezed orange juice and one with bottled. There’s no comparison. The fresh orange is beautiful, adding a fresh dimension that elevates the drink to the next level. You can smell it wafting out of the glass. By contrast, you smell honey from the bottled version. The orange is there, but it isn’t harmonious with the spices or honey, instead just showing up from time to.
In summary, tl:dr; use fresh orange juice.
- Krupnik – As mentioned before, some commercially available Krupnik’s are on the market. In our recipe, we use our homemade version which can be found here.
- Orange Juice – We greatly recommend fresh squeezed here. You can strain it through a conical strainer if you don’t like pulp. You could also use bottled if you have to – but expect a much more tart experience.
- Club Soda – You could by super duper fancy club soda, but your regular grocery store generic brand is going to work, but leave the drink feeling flat.
- Glassware – Flutes are the preferred vessel here to mimic the long length of a pussy willow. You should not spank people with your flute.