What does the “-ówka” ending mean in Polish drink names?

The whole sketch turns on a mix-up: someone expects “lemoniada” (lemonade) and gets “cytrynówka” instead — vodka infused with lemon. Polish builds an entire family of drink names this way: take a fruit or plant, add “-ówka,” and you’ve named the vodka it flavors. It’s a reliable pattern, and also a reliable way to end up far drunker than planned.

The same suffix gives you “żubrówka” (bison-grass vodka), “wiśniówka” (cherry), and “śliwówka” (plum) — home-infused “nalewki” get named this way constantly. Hear any fruit name plus “-ówka,” and you can guess the drink before you taste it.