National Drinks and Beverages Hungary Hungarian Alcohol

Unicum Hungary

Hungarian alcohol

Hungary is famous for its excellent wines and, although it is not a big country, it has as many as 22 wine regions. These regions produce all the characteristic wine styles, from pezsgö (sparkling wine) and light whites that come from Mátra, near Lake Balaton, to dry reds from Villány or Eger, as well as Tokaji, a distinctive sweet dessert wine.

Many wines from different vineyards mature in a maze of underground cellars in Budafok. As well as a prominent wine producer, Hungary also makes beer, pálinka (a drink distilled from different orchard fruits), several types of brandy, and a bitter herb liqueur called Unicum.

Pálinka from Hungary

Palinka from Hungary
Palinka from Hungary

Kecskemét is the largest region that produces the Hungarian alcohol drink pálinka, distilled from fruit grown in the orchards situated on the Great Hungarian Plain, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Budapest. Pálinka is a spirit native to Hungary and comes in different flavors including barack (apricot) and cseresznye (cherry). The best of them is the Hungarian alcohol drink szilva (plum) which comes from the Szatmár district. It’s much favored by the Hungarians.

Pálinka is not the only spirit indigenous to Hungary. Other examples include Törköly, a spirit-based distilled from rape, which possesses a very delicate flavor, and Vilmos, a Hungarian alcohol drink of the brandy kind made from Williams pears.

Palinka Museum Budapest

Taste Hungary’s famous Palinka while attending an interactive and interesting exhibition about the history of Palinka in Hungary and around the world! The Museum is in the heart of Budapest, and its mission is to make Palinka familiar to everyone worldwide.

Sparkling Wines from Hungary

Sparkling Pezsgo from Somlo - Hungary
Sparkling Pezsgo from Somlo – Hungary

Sparkling wine, called pezsgö (the Hungarian word for “sparkling”), enjoys a good reputation as a Hungarian alcohol drink within the country. József Törley introduced the classic method of producing these wines from France in 1881. It was Törley who built the first production plant in Budafok, which continues to produce excellent sparkling wines over 100 years on.

Today, Hungary has several other vineyards producing pezsgö, mainly concentrated around Budapest, in the Pannonia and Balatonboglár regions. As well as Törley, Hungaria is another good label to look out for.

Beer From Hungary

Dreher Classic Beer from Hungary

Hungary has a rich beer culture with a blend of traditional brewing history and contemporary artistry. Here are some of the top Hungarian beer brands to try:

  1. Dreher Classic: A European Pale Lager that’s light and beloved in Hungary. It has a medium golden body, mild malt and hops aroma, and a taste of adjunct grains with a decent bitterness.
  2. Borsodi: This American Adjunct Lager has a low alcohol content of 4.6% and offers a light golden color with a short-lived frothy white head. It’s well-carbonated with a light-bodied feel and a crisp finish.
  3. Arany Ászok: Another popular choice from Dreher Brewery, this European Pale Lager has a strength of 4.3% ABV. It’s known for its mild malty aroma and grainy, hoppy taste.
  4. Soproni Ovatos Duhaj IPA: A Session IPA with a cloudy golden/orange body and a strength of 4.8% ABV. It has a mild citrusy and grassy smell, with maltiness and hoppy bitterness in the taste.
  5. Szalon Sor: A European Pale Lager brewed with barley malts, water, and aromatic hops. It pours a golden color with a translucent body and a frothy white head, offering a mild malty scent and a blend of malt sweetness and hoppy bitterness.

These beers are just a few examples of the over 640 different beers produced in Hungary, each with its unique character and taste. Whether you prefer light lagers or hoppy IPAs, there’s a Hungarian beer out there for you to enjoy.

Tokaji from Hungary

Tokaji Aszu Hungary
Tokaji Aszu Hungary

The dessert wine Tokaji has a very different style. Its bouquet and flavor come from a mold that grows only in the Bodrog and Tisza rivers and the volcanic soil in which the vines grow. Tokaji ranges from sweet to dry and is full-bodied and rich. Particularly worth sampling is Aszú, made with the addition of over-ripe grapes harvested after the first frost.

The proportion of these grapes added to the must (grape juice) determines the wine’s body and sweetness. The more of these grapes used, the sweeter and richer the Aszú. Although cheap varieties of Tokaji do exist, they do not have the same quality as the genuine article.

 


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