Drinks similar to Rakia - Palinka

Palinka

Palinka is a traditional type of brandy (specifically, an eau de vie) that is produced in Hungary and Romania, mostly in Transylvania. The origin of the word is Slavic, stemming from the word palit (Slovak) which means to distill. Palinka is almost always drunk in shot glasses straight up.

It is usually made from plums , apples , pears , apricots and sometimes cherries , and is double-distilled. It iks also made from pomace, the residue from winemaking.

The alcohol content is usually 40% or less. This requirement is law for stamped bottles to be available in shops. Homemade palinkas have a higher alcohol content. The most alcoholic palinkas are called "keritesszaggato" in Hungarian, which means "fence-tearer" (Drunks falling over onto fences!). These home-made palinka"s are not commercially available but are quite common.

In Hungary, they can take the fermented mash to a distiller who then distills the to the desired strength. Home distilling still exist but are illegal in Hungary.

The rule of thumb in Hungary is that a genuine palinka alcohol content must be over 37% to bear the name. It should be made of fruits or herbs from the region of the Carpathian Basin. A cheaper concoction of fruit juice and ethanol is called "szeszesital". It is available and was labeled as "palinka" at one polint but now Hungarian law requires that szeszesital should be labeled as such, and not referred to as palinka.