In a city full of internationals, Polish-born, UK-raised, former Moscow-resident Zbigniew Janic is bottling a solution for finding a taste of belonging. Emigre Spirits is a line of fruit-infused liqueurs that aren’t just incredibly drinkable but also take centre stage at a number of events that are all about creating a home away from home. Inspired by Nalewki, an often-homemade fruit-infused alcohol popular in Eastern Europe, Emigre Spirits offers a taste of nostalgia.
In 2022, Janic transformed his kitchen into a makeshift laboratory where he experimented with the Nalewki recipes perfected by his Polish grandmas and aunts. Fruits and herbs soak in high-proof alcohol for weeks, extracting their flavour before sugar and water are added, transforming the potent mixture into a smooth and sweet beverage.
“When you sip it, you don’t taste the alcohol. It’s dangerous”, says Janic. The resulting vodka liqueurs – which come in the flavours sour cherry, sea buckthorn, lingonberry and blackcurrant – were a hit with friends at parties. The following year, he turned his hobby into a full-fledged brand, upping production and selling his wares at markets across Berlin.
But Emigre Spirits is about more than just the tipple itself. Janic’s ‘Tasting Evenings’ bring strangers together around a feast of Slavic tapas, complete with welcoming speeches and obligatory shots of Emigre. “I’m always surprised how you’ll get 15 people who are basically new to each other around a big table, and all of a sudden they make these really deep toasts.”
For the artistically inclined, there are collage-and-drink sessions hosted by artist friend Vika Vysotskaya. Music lovers can get their fix at the Emigre Sessions, where up-and-coming musicians perform intimate acoustic shows, while audience members enjoy the drink of the night.
Janic has high ambitions for Emigre Spirits. Using the traditional infusion method, he plans to develop flavour combinations that represent an array of cultures – think tequila infused with Thai mangoes or a Georgian chacha steeped in Polish plums.
“Traditional Polish makers would probably not see this as very kosher,” he admits with a grin, “but it creates completely new flavours and new concepts, and that’s relevant to how people experience migration. This is a very high-level concept, slightly removed from the liquid that’s in your glass, but that’s my thinking.”
