SnapShots of National Drinks: Unicum & Palinka

Note:  This is one of those nebulous topics where I generalize for entire countries—and sometimes continents.  My views on the history and usage of certain drinks are also up for debate.  Your outraged comments and e-mails are gladly welcomed!

Remember when I said I would introduce you to Hungary’s museums and palinka?  Well, it seems that my time is running out.  But don’t worry, I found a way to economize.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…the Palinka Museum.

Okay, technically, it’s the Zwack Museum, but that’s even better because in addition to some really good palinka, it is home to Hungary’s famous Unicum liqueur.  (In terms of national/historical importance, Unicum is right up there with palinka, so I would be remiss not to mention it.)  The museum is literally a three-minute walk from our apartment, yet today was the first time I had ever gone inside.  Sad?  Yes.  Especially considering that it is really a lovely place, full of interesting information and nicely organized artifacts (read: bottles of alcohol).  Isn’t that always the case, though?  How quickly we settle into a normal routine, believing we have all the time in the world…all the while taking for granted those small jewels which are right under our noses.

But alas, back to the booze.  Both palinka and Unicum are usually drunk straight, and you would be hard-pressed to find a celebration in Hungary that didn’t involve one or both.  They are also digestifs, meaning they are drunk after dinner and intended to aid in digestion (although, just to complicate matters, palinka is often taken before a meal).  Aside from that and country of origin, one is quite unlike the other.

Palinka is a clear brandy made from 100% distilled fruit—usually apricots, plums, pears, or berries.  Another version (my favorite) has honey blended in.  However, according to EU regulations, the honey precludes it from the “palinka” label.  Good thing a LOT of Hungarians make their own palinka at home and (obviously) don’t care too much about annoying regulations.

Unicum is a thick, dark, coat-the-inside-of-the-glass drink that is made from a secret recipe of over 40 herbs and spices.  Kind of like KFC, except it will knock you on your bum.  It was originally concocted by Dr. Zwack for the Hapsburg Emperor in 1790.  The Zwack family has been producing and distributing it almost ever since, Communist era aside.  (During this period, the factory was nationalized, some of the family was in exile, and a fake/inferior recipe was used.)  Like a lot of herbal bitters, what was once used for medicinal purposes has since turned into a popular drink.  Which is a nice way of saying it tastes a LOT like cough syrup.  This is apparently inconsequential.  According to today’s museum movie, Unicum is the number one drink in Hungary.  (I assume they meant it is the number one branded alcoholic drink in Hungary, but who knows?!)

With regards to the digestif concept, Unicum and palinka are Hungary’s representatives in the spirits and bitters categories of digestif drinks.  Most other European countries play along.  Germany has schnapps and Jägermeister; Italy has Grappa and Ramazzotti.  In other countries there is Slivovitz, Ouzo, Cognac, etc.

There is, traditionally, no such drink in America.  Our “schnapps” is usually sweet, bursting with flavor (albeit fake), and mixed with something, like orange juice.  “After dinner drinks” or “nightcaps” do exist, but they’re not customary, and certainly not normally taken for digestive purposes.  In my opinion, the reasons for this are:

Americans don’t prolong meals like Europeans, so there’s less time to linger over a scotch.

Alcohol is simply not viewed as a digestion-aiding substance.

Digestion isn’t a very socially acceptable subject in general, especially in the context of a nice dinner.  We might leave the Metamucil bottle out on the kitchen counter for the world to see, but you won’t hear any American say “Wow, after all that steak I could really use a strong whiskey…if you know what I mean.”  Awwwwkward.

As for the branded digestifs that we do have in the U.S., we use them utterly incorrectly—from a historical digestif perspective, that is.  We drink Jägermeister ice cold (to avoid, not savor all those medicinal aromas), often mixed with Red Bull.  It is a party drink, with an arguably younger target audience.   This is, of course, a case of marketing… which leads me to Unicum NEXT.  This is a newer, lighter, more fruity version of Unicum that also seems to be targeting a younger generation.   I doubt it’s what the good doctor had in mind, but that means (thankfully!) it doesn’t taste quite so much like something that might actually be good for you.

Tagged as: Budapest, Digestif, Hungary, Life