U’Luvka is a love child.
When first visiting Poland in the 1990’s we were struck by the Pole’s great hospitality and their traditional way of extending it. We loved the way they would receive a guest with vodka and traditional vittals, following the ancient laws of hospitality. The vodka would be savoured and appreciated; spirit lifting spirits, opening hearts and allowing souls to commune, to express themselves in heartfelt conversation; weaving the warp and weft of friendship. Magical times.
And so began a love affair. We set out to discover the secrets of vodka; its origins, history and lore. Travelling through Poland and meeting with those who shared our passion, we learned many things and heard many stories. One that intrigued us the most was a story that we picked up in snippets and fragments all over Poland. It told of the legendary alchemist Sendivogius and a magical vodka that he distilled for the court of King Sigismund III. Some said that this was the medicine that saved the King from an incurable disease in 1606. Others said that he made it while court alchemist a dozen years earlier. The recipe, like the story, was remembered only in fragments. But by seeking out scholars of alchemy, consulting buried texts and working with some of Poland’s finest distillers, we have recreated the legendary royal elixir. The elusive genius of Sendivogius has been recaptured, distilled and bottled as U’Luvka: The stuff of legend; the spirit of genius.
We hope you enjoy U’Luvka as much as we do.
Just enough will never again be too much!
he art of distillation was established in the 8th century by Arab alchemists, who embraced the primordial understanding that all created things consist of three principles – soul, spirit and body. They recognised alcohol (from the Arab al-kohl) as the spirit latent in all plants and called it the water of life. It took another three and a half centuries for the secrets of distillation to arrive in the Christian West. Regarded as a medicinal elixir and revered for its apparently magical properties, it was not until its widespread application as a remedy against the plague that alcoholic spirit became widely distilled and imbibed. Before long there were stills in every city in Europe.
Vodka quickly established itself as the spirit of choice in Poland and Russia, both countries claiming to have discovered it first. Its name comes from the same word -voda/woda - meaning ‘water’ in both Russian and Polish.
The best vodka is made from finest rye and grain; singly or in combination. It is the noble grains that give the vodka its essential character, its soul. The soul in vodka speaks to the soul in man. No wonder the Poles and Russians, with their tremendous sense of soul, should choose vodka as their national drink.
Despite its ancient relationship with the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe, vodka was not widely befriended in the West until the advent of the 'swinging 60's.' Being the great mixer that it is, vodka is now firmly established as one of the world’s most popular spirits.
