What the Heck is Hrenovuha?

Hrenovuha sounds like the spluttering sound you’d make when getting a double whammy of sinus-blasting horseradish and high-ABV vodka. It is actually the Russian word for horseradish vodka, a high-spirited spirit dating back at least as far as the 17th century that still ignites passion in Eastern Europe and Russian communities. “I first learned about it at the Russian Baths in New York City,” says Jeffrey Yoskowitz, Jewish food historian and co-author of The Gefilte Manifesto, adding, "And then it was everywhere." Israel Morales, beverage director and co-owner of Kachka, Portland’s premier Russian restaurant, agrees. “It’s a ubiquitous infusion on every menu I’ve seen and every household I’ve been to, from Belarus and Russia to Ukraine.”

History of Hrenovuha

Horseradish is easy to grow and abundant across eastern Europe. Infusing vodka with it began as a healing home brew in the days before commercial medicine. Horseradish root, Armoracia rusticana, belonging to the mustard family, is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and surprisingly high in vitamin C. “It was medicinal,” says Russian-born creative director, Sasha Shor. “People would soak horseradish in vodka and take a shot or a spoonful.”

Horseradish can reduce sinus congestion, and recent studies indicate it’s a great defense against food-borne illness. However, hrenovuha is enjoyed more as a spirit than as medicine these days.

How to make Hrenovuha

Start tasting it after just a few days
Consider adding some lemon zest
Don't use too much horseradish
Let it sit for a few days to mellow before straining it
Use a neutral inexpensive vodka

“You can easily make your own,” says Yoskowitz. “Infuse your vodka just for a few days, then taste. You can always leave it longer, but if you wind up with a really strong batch, there's not a lot you can do to dial down the horseradish blast, other than add more vodka.”

New York-based Shor also makes her own hrenovuha, adding a little lemon zest to the shaved horseradish. She gifts bottles of it to friends “I like that it’s savory,” she says, “There’s a little bit of a bite to it.”

“You need much less horseradish than you think,” warns Morales. “Also, don’t strain it too quickly. It’s going to taste pretty spicy and a bit like sulfur after the first day or two, but if you let it sit for seven to ten days, it can really soften, and that allows the aromas to bloom. I strive for the most neutral style of vodka. Nothing made from ingredients that would impart their own character. For infusions, I am actually reaching for the bottom shelf.”

Top Brands of Horseradish vodka

Morales now oversees Kachka’s own distillery Kachka Spirits, making its signature horseradish vodka available for retail. Other regional and artisanal horseradish vodka producers include organic Split Rock in Maine, CopperMuse in Colorado and Ohso's Arcadia brand in Arizona. CopperMuse horseradish vodka does well outside Colorado. According to distiller president Jason Hevelone it’s Michigan’s bestselling infused spirit, outpacing even the brand’s popular bacon vodka. “Horseradish is such a unique flavor" he says, adding "In a cocktail you really take notice of it.”

The chefs at CopperMuse’s tasting room take notice of it too and have incorporated it into menu items, marinating salmon with it and using it in a sauce for roast beef. “We really pride ourselves on using natural ingredients, real horseradish root, not horseradish essence or concentrate,” says Hevelone “It has a complexity of flavors, volatile oils you’re not going to capture unless you’re using the real deal.”

Both CopperMuse and Split Rock distill corn-based vodka in-house and infuse it with locally-sourced horseradish. Hevelone urges caution when preparing — those volatile oils are potent. “When you chop horseradish in a food processor, it can cause irritation to some pretty sensitive membranes,” he says. “We wear face masks, we have to have plenty of ventilation. We set up fans everywhere.” Ohso's Arcadia Horseradish Vodka is distilled from sugar cane and like the CopperMuse and Split Rock horseradish vodkas, it clocks in at 40% abv.

How to Enjoy Hrenovuha

In a Bloody Mary in place of unflavored vodka
In a shot
With zakruski
In a balanced cocktail such as the Save a Horse, Ride a Radish

Horseradish vodka may seem like a Bloody Mary slam-dunk, and Kachka created its own Bloody Masha, but the cocktail doesn’t have true Russian heritage. Or widespread Russian approval. “I do love Bloody Marys, but they have so much going on, “ says Shor. Horseradish vodka gets lost he shares, "You don’t get the nuance and subtlety of the flavor.” “Balance is the key,” adds Morales. “It’s surprising how easily it can get lost in a cocktail. Let it be the main ingredient and support it with other flavors.”

Hrenovuha toasts are used to underscore “something important, to celebrate something, to elevate,” says Shor. They should be made generously, effusively, with a “certain purity and epicness.”

Don’t worry if you can’t say hrenohuva with Shor’s elegant Russian pronunciation. “The more you drink, the easier it is to say.”