The people of Poland have suffered through centuries of hardships. In the 16th Century, feudal lords were abusing the peasantry. Then came invasions by the Russians, the Nazis, repression by Stalinists, and martial law imposed to crush the population that rose up to demand democracy.
It’s a turbulent little country, and the one thing that has quite literally kept the people’s spirits up is the art of creating fiery booze from their prolific potatoes. “Down in the basements or in the pantries, or wherever they were, potatoes would be sitting in buckets making vodka,” says Karolina Koeberg, a South African born to Polish parents. “They want to be merry while they work and they’ve gone through some hectic crises and you’ve got to manage to still find the joy, and if it comes from a potato in a bucket, so be it.”
Her father Krzysztof Komendera drew on that heritage years later in Johannesburg when he was retrenched by AngloGold after 35 years as a backfill technician. He began to produce a traditional lemon-flavoured spirt called Cytrynówka from a family recipe, which gave him a new interest, tasted delicious, and revived his self-esteem when people raved about it.
Now with the more pronounceable name of Dirty Lemon, it’s become the award-winning flagship of six Polish-inspired spirits and liqueurs produced by the family company, Premium Pure Fusion. He and his wife Malgorzata, whose work in tourism was also floundering, founded the business four years ago, also drawing in Karolina, a professional photographer, her husband Larry, an accountant, and her brother Arthur.
Karolina has become the family spokeswoman, and doesn’t need a tot of the good stuff to fuel her enthusiasm as she speaks about the drinks, the new life they created for her parents, and the global potential she sees. “Mum and dad are both great characters and they put their passion and knowledge and love into these Polish recipes with an added South African flair,” she says.
“Two years before we started there were huge cuts at AngloGold, and my dad lost two friends to heart attacks after they were retrenched,” she explains. “My dad’s a very stressed-out type – or he was – and I could see him going down that same road of thinking what am I going to do now, these are all the skills I have. I was pondering how we could give these two people something to do that they’re passionate about and gives them a reason to wake up.”
Once friends started clamouring to buy their Dirty Lemon, she realised this could be the future. “The whole phase for craft gin was going on and I said why don’t we chip in whatever we can and bring Dirty Lemon to the market and give it a go. My dad is pushing his pension money into this and they still haven’t paid themselves a salary.”
The Komenderas are both 62, and first met when they were both students doing vacation work in Austria in 1981. When riots erupted in Poland the government imposed martial law and closed its borders, preventing them from going home. Krzysztof had studied mining and engineering and was offered a job in South Africa, but could only bring Malgorzata if they were married. So they tied the knot after just three months.
Today they live in Carletonville, a mining area west of Johannesburg, where they buy neat spirit from a distillery and blend in the other ingredients by hand. They have a tasting room in their small factory where customers can try and buy the products, and they’re also sold in some bars, restaurants and hotels including The Rasmus guesthouse in Pretoria.
Along the way, the collection has won gold and silver medals at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirit Awards and two gold medals at the SA Women’s Wine and Spirit Awards.
Each drink has a year and a name, tying in with fanciful stories that Karolina tells with eyes full of mischief, leaving you to sort the fact from the fiction. Dirty Lemon didn’t only get its name because of the flecks of lemon pulp it contains. “When I had a swig of that bad boy it gave me a shiver down my back that felt a little bit dirty and naughty, so we went with that look and feel,” she says.
Polacks traditionally drink their spirits and liqueurs neat, but these also work with tonic, in adult milkshakes, sorbets or Irish coffees. The Black Pearl coffee liqueur tastes like caramel instant pudding with attitude, while The Porter is a complex blend of spirit, milk stout, raisins, honey and coffee.
If you want to add pizazz to your cappuccino try the Chocolate and Chilli liqueur, Koeberg suggests. “You get to enjoy the chocolate at the beginning then the chili comes in right at the end going ‘whoop, whoop hi, don’t forget about me!’”
The stereotyped image of Polish people is the unflattering idea that they’re a hardbitten bunch of alcoholics, I say to goad her, and she peals with laughter. “I don't want to say that’s accurate - but yes, we enjoy our vodka, and with Cytrynówka being in my blood I won’t say no,” she says.
They’re also a nation of storytellers, which is why her parents love promoting their drinks at craft markets where they can swap stories with their customers. “I look at my dad when he’s at the markets and I see how much joy he gets when people try them. You have this moment when their eyes say ‘wow, I didn't expect that.’ I love seeing the recognition on my mum and dad’s faces that they’ve made something that people love and they’re winning awards that say the judges also love them. They never thought they could go down this path and I’m so proud of them.”
As well as working to find more local outlets, Premier Pure Fusion is adding a purchasing function to its website and applying for licences to export to Europe and America.
The 750ml bottles cost from R200 to R300, and are all preservative and stabilizer free. “These are small-batch and freshly made to enjoy now, which is why we’ve left all the preservatives out. I think with Covid people have been brought a lot closer together and been reminded about the importance of friends and family,” Karolina says. “It’s not about getting drunk. It’s about having something delicious that’s been made with love and real ingredients to create the giggles, the fun and the enjoyment.”
Photos: Karolina Koeberg. Click for more details of Premier Pure Fusion: or email: katonthehat@gmail.com
If you want travel & leisure writing that's sassy - but classy you've come to the right place. After 12 years as the IT Editor for Business Day I quit to follow my passion for writing opinionated pieces for any publication bold enough to run them. Contact me or read more.
