BUFFALO, N.Y. — Those of Polish heritage know Monday is Dyngus Day. It's a celebration that comes after the end of fasting and other traditions marked during Lent.

Andy Wegrzyn is the co-founder of Buffalo Distilling Company. He says Dyngus Day celebrates turns into a party in Buffalo. A popular party favor during the celebration is krupnik, a Polish-style vodka with raw honey in it.

“We launched the first commercial krupnik in Buffalo several years back," said Wegrzyn. "And then it was super exciting; the people of Buffalo responded unbelievably. It went viral and it’s been great."

Wegrzyn says they now make barrel-aged krupnik and it’s some of the only krupnik made that way in the world. The extra effort means it takes a while to prepare.

"For one batch of krupnik, we’ll use like 1,000 pounds of local raw honey," Wegrzyn said. "We get a lot of build-up between our retail partners at the liquor stores and bars. We’re loading them up throughout the month leading up to it and then, you know, our customers are coming in a good few weeks ahead of time, too, stocking up."

Then comes Dyngus Day. 

"Oh, Dyngus Day is one of the best days to be a bartender," said Dale Wright, a bartender at Buffalo Distilling Co. "Everybody comes out, it’s a great time. Typically everyone is in great spirits and we just try to keep the party going."

Wright says there are many ways to enjoy the krupnik.

"Traditionally it can be drunk warm, it can be drunk chilled, it can be drunk straight up," said Wright. "We can also use it in cocktails, we use it in a variety of ways. Any way that you use honey in a cocktail, like traditional cocktails, like gold rush or Bee's Knees, you can use it as a replacement or a complement to honey in a cocktail like that.

Or you can even enjoy it in a shot ski.

If you want to enjoy some Polka after the parade, it's happening at 7 p.m. Monday at the Buffalo Distilling Company.