In the countryside, hundreds of people who happen to have fruit trees collect and take the fallen plums, berries, or apricots to a local brewery, where a team of pálinka makers help them create a fruit brandy aka the Hungarian spirit. Those who rather play the lone hand purchase their own distilling kit and educate themselves on how to become producers instead.

Either way, everyone with their own alcoholic beverage is proud as a peacock, willing to show their pride and joy fruit distillate to anyone who cross their doorstep. Especially on special events like Easter, birthdays, weddings, or on the occasion of unplanned visits from friends, relatives. Warning! Guests shouldn’t shy away from and refuse the host’s offer, because the poor man would take offence at them. They are so passionate about pálinka as if it was their love child; they want everyone to know how proud they are of it.

How to drink pálinka

Beware! While in the countryside they say you should take it fast like a shot, the recent pálinka revolution’s representatives beg to differ. They suggest you take your time, indulge in its fruity smell first (they don’t pour it into a tulip shaped glass for nothing), and then enjoy each and every sip, slow and easy. Thanks to its pretty high alcohol content (minimum 37.5%), you’ll soon feel it kick in unless you are careful enough. The choice is yours, make it an experience!

Pálinka encyclopaedia

Pálinka is under the European Union’s geographic designation protection, meaning that only products that were produced, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Hungarian territory can be sold as “pálinka”. Considering the flavours, the drink also known as “fence-ripper” can be made from a list of ripe fruits: plum, apricot, apple, sour cherry, pear, apple, and so on. We differentiate eight pálinka regions, all of which are famous for one specific fruit; for instance, Kecskemét’s area is the land of quality apricot pálinka, but Békés’s pálinka makers specialize in plum distillate.

Photo: Egy jó kép rólad

We are very delighted to see that slowly but surely the local gastro-cultural scene is developing. One of the newest examples is Pálinka Museum Budapest, a venue worth your precious time. The Király utca museum elevates pálinka’s game to the next level. Its founders are dedicated to spread the word: the Hungarian fruit brandy deserves a spot among the world’s best alcoholic drinks. With an assortment of the country’s best quality hard liquors, the newest addition to the Party District handles you a guide on how to lose your pálinka virginity. But only after a proper introduction, an approximately 30-minute long, educating, interactive exhibition dedicated to the mighty spirit.

We stopped by Pálinka Museum Budapest on a February afternoon, determined to learn, and well, have fun. After entering the hall resembling a wine cellar thanks to the stone wall texture, we caught sight of the harmonious combination of traditional and modern: a bar area with a clean design, and old, nicely decorated pálinka bottles showcased behind glass panes. If pálinka was a religion, this venue would be a great sanctuary.

Complete with an exhibition hall, it places much emphasis on creating a satisfying emotional experience. Before walking a few steps towards the museum’s heart, my companion and I sat down near the bar and clinked our liquor glasses; we drank quince tonic, a creative cocktail with toned down alcoholicity, destined to attract people who are just getting to know pálinka.

Don’t Keep Off the Grass

Ready to learn more about how the Hungarian fruit brandy is made, how it is supposed to be drunk, and what its specialty factors are, we headed to the exhibition hall through the gift shop that has quite an impressive list of products. There’s trendy fashion merchandise (shirts, pullovers and gym bags), magnets, foie gras, and of course, pálinka, just to mention a few of our favourite items. We made our first stop in front of an interactive map which we could control with our feet. Depending on where we stood, different milestones of pálinka history showed up on the screen.

It wasn’t the only digital tool that we could try: another pretty cool interactive “game” (our actual favourite) was the one that guides you through the phases of pálinka-making. At the end of the fun process there is a prize: a glass of fruit spirit, in theory our own pálinka. Another thing we can’t pass by without mentioning is the museum’s “don’t keep off the grass” rule; it means the exhibited items can be touched and/or tried on, and it isn’t forbidden to take photos either.

Back to the Bar

Once we returned to the bar area, we found out that there are two available tasting packages offered by the museum; 3×2 cl, or 5×2 cl of your chosen flavours, and it means actually plenty of options. On request, they are served with mangalitza ham, foie gras, rustic cold bites and cheese scone, food and flavours that go well with the Hungarian spirit. Our sensory examination started with Gyulai Pálinka Manufacture’s wild cherry pálinka enhanced with clear marzipan notes. Then we tasted Bestillo Pálinka’s 40 degree specialty, red Williams pear, and last but not least, Zamárdi-based Zimek Pálinka Manufaktúra’s raspberry distillate.

Three different brands, three different flavours, three different stories. Their uniqueness lies in multiple factors; other than the fruit itself, the harvesting territory, age, technology, and the special touch added by each manufacturer all influences the final product. And for this reason, plus the playful way of getting to learn about pálinka, it is impossible not to find at least one brand or flavour to fancy and say: wow, I really love it!

1061 Budapest, Király utca 20.

Photos: Németh Kriszti (Egy jó kép rólad)

The main difference that sets pálinka apart from other alcoholic beverages like whiskey and vodka is that it’s made not from grain, but from 100% real fruits, and contains no additives other than crystal clear water.

For this reason, even though in general pálinka has an alcoholic content of 40% (and stronger versions are not uncommon), it’s not the alcohol, but more the fruity notes and unique aromas that dominate its taste.

The most common varieties of pálinka are plum, apricot and pear, but cherry and grape are also common, while you can also find pálinka made from quince, wild cherry, raspberry, or sloe.

For a litre of raspberry pálinka you’ll need 22 kg of the fruit, while only 8 kg apricots suffice for making a bottle.

Pálinka is a drink to be cherished. You don’t down it like a shot, but consume it slowly, sip-by-sip, savouring it, so that its aromas may have time to unfold. If you’ve finally decided to give pálinka a go, it’s best if you have your first taste somewhere that has its own staff of pálinka experts, ensuring that your first encounter with the Hungarian fruit brandy will be a memorable experience. To that end, we recommend that you visit Pálinka Museum Shop Bar, located under 20 Király utca, right in the heart of the Party District. Here you can learn about the exciting history of the spirit through an interactive exhibition, complete with digital tools, make your own distillate, and taste or buy a variety of pálinka specialties.

Since pálinka is made from a range of fruits, we encourage you to sample more than one kind. It’s actually one of the biggest advantages pálinka has over other internationally renowned spirits: there are so many flavours of pálinka that it’s virtually impossible that you won’t find a variety suited for your liking. Get a bottle of pálinka as a gift to your friends or family so that they, too, can learn what the Hungarian spirit is all about!

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Doblo has a different feeling in the afternoon lights, at the evening with the chandeliers lit, or in late-night bar mode. The old brickwork walls fuse well with the modern design, giving Doblo the mixed feeling of a wine cellar and a New York City loft. There is a 100m2 guest space and a 13 meter long bar in this corner shop location, hidden in the Old Jewish Quarter. Seven arches of windows and doors facing the street make the Doblo Experience even more unique and unforgettable.

Doblo can accommodate groups of 85 people maximum. 55 people seated at tables of 4, 6 or larger. There are 12 fix and 15 mobile barstools in a separate area with several high tables.