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Best strong alcohols in Romania – TOP 3 spirits and liquors
When you think about Romania, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably Dracula and Transylvania. When you think about Romanian food and drinks, then it is probably meat (Read more about sausages and cold cuts in Romania and about meat dishes in Romania) and coffee. Then comes wine. But that is not all! Apart from that, there is a plethora of strong alcohols and liquors prepared from local fruits. Plums, cherries, pears are only among some of the most popular ones. As the base is so good, fruits are ripe and sweet, that is an ideal moment to produce strong alcohols and finally fruity liquors. When you visit Romania, do not forget to try at least once this strong and magical Țuică, flavorful Afinata and Vișinată.
Țuică
Let’s start with the strongest alcohol from the list above – so loved and popular Țuică. Țuică is a traditional local spirit which alcohol content might reach even 65%. However, the most popular version of Țuică has more or less 40-55%.
Țuică is a spirit that is produced from plums. That is the only fruit that can take part in the distillation process. Although strong alcohols are also made from other fruits and grains, they are never named Țuică. To sum it up Țuică, means a plum spirit. What is interesting about Romania, is the fact, that this country is among top plum producers around the world. And the second interesting fact is, that almost 80% of its production is used for production of Țuică.
Țuică Recipe
The preparation of Țuică starts when this of wine ends. It means, that it begins starting from October and lasts till the end of the year at maximum. However, usually the process finishes at the beginning of December. The first step to prepare Țuică is to let plums ferment for about two months. This fermentation takes place in large barrels. The next step is the distillation process. This process is either done once or twice. Depending on that how many times the alcohol was distilled, the content of alcohol changes. After the first one, Țuică has between 25% and 40%. After the second one, the content raises and reaches up to 65%. The obtained spirit might be consumed almost immediately or can be put into a barrel and left for aging. During the aging process, Țuică changes a little bit its color and turns pale yellow.
The consumption of Țuică is relatively high in Romania. This alcoholic beverage is present on almost all parties, gatherings, and ceremonies. It is served in small glasses – shots and is usually served before the meal. Țuică is also the most popular drink to hold the toast. Apart from that, it is often offered as a gift and what is surprising as a little gift after someone’s help. It is sometimes treated as a substitute of money, especially in rural areas. This form of remuneration is widely accepted across Romania in cases of small works in local communities.
Afinata
Afinata is a traditional Romanian blueberry liquor that is widely produced at homes. The production process is simple and easy, but the final effect is wonderful. This dark and aromatic liquor is obtained after a couple of weeks of the production. It is not distilled, so the production process is really simple and does not require any special utensil.
Afinata Recipe
The first step of the production of Afinata is the same as in the case of many other fruit liquors. Fruits, in this case blueberries, are left with sugar on top of them for a couple of days. During that time, the fermentation process should not start yet. To stop it and not allow it to start fermenting and turning into a wine, you have to observe the jar or the pot with the mixture, and as soon as you mention little bubbles, you should add alcohol to it. Thanks to that, the fermentation process would not proceed, and the blueberry juice with fruits will mix with the added spirit. You can use either vodka, or any other spirit that has the content of alcohol at the level of about 40%. You can also use an almost pure spirit with 98% but remember to dilute it before adding it to the fruit mixture. Mix it with water, and it would be fine. Keep the mixture for at least next two weeks for a better taste mixing and pour into bottles.
Finally, fruits that were used for preparing Afinata, can be stored in the fridge for a long time. You can always use them in cakes, desserts or add them to meats and stews. These blueberries with alcohol have a great semi-sweet, semi-sour taste and a slight alcohol aftertaste.
Vișinată
Vișinată is another Romanian fruit liquor that is really popular. Vișinată is produced from sour cherries, strong alcohol and sugar. It is usually produced at home, as it is in the case of a blueberry Afinata. However, some stores also sell a commercial versions of this liquor. But, Vișinată form stores, is never as good as the one made at home. The production is almost the same as the production of Afinata. The final product – the liquor is relatively sweet, very aromatic and has a dark color.
How Vișinată is made?
Sour cherries are placed in a big jar, sugar is added to it, and it is left for a couple of days to let fruits loose juice and slightly start bubbling – till the moment when just some small bubbles appear on top of the surface. Some recipes, however, much more time consuming, include smashing sour cherries before putting them into the jar. This also results in a longer process of clarification, as soft cherries’ flesh partially dilutes in the alcohol, and leaves a milky color. Some people also remove pits from the fruit, as they believe that it is unhealthy given the fact, that pits include cyanide, that is poisonous if consumed in excessive amount. It is important not to let the mixture start the fermentation process, as in that case, instead of obtaining Vișinată, you would get a cherry wine. After these couple of days, add vodka or any other 40%-50% alcoholic beverage that. Just till the top of the jar. Seal it and leave in a dark place for a couple of weeks or even month to let it combine well and mix flavors. During that time, stir the content in the jar from time to time – Vișinată. Thanks to that, fruity aromas can mix even better.
The very important part of the process is the preparation of proper fruits. Sour cherries should be of a really good quality. Should have no molds and not rotted in any way. The best advice is to add only healthy fruits, that are from your local garden, are ripe, fresh, and mature. Avoid adding any leaves, leftovers, parts of the sour cherry fruit etc. remember that the purer the fruit mixture is, the better Vișinată will come out of it. Any bad flavor, or any aftertaste would only be strengthened by the alcohol and not minimized or even killed as you might expect it to be.
Finally, Vișinată can be also aged and stored in wooden barrels. Aging improves the final taste of the liquor; however, it might also strengthen its bitterness and make it feel a little bit rough on your tongue. Apart from the quality of fruits, the used alcohol also influences the final taste. The basic recipe includes plain vodka or any similar one, but in more sophisticated versions, and also more expensive to produce, you will also find brandy or other fruit spirits. Other variations include replacing sugar with natural honey, however, also in this case, the cost of Vișinată’s production is much higher. Another thing is, that if the honey is very aromatic, it might dominate the natural sour cherry flavor, and in consequence lead to worsening the liquor.
And last but not least, sour cherries from the mixture can be reused in desserts, as it is in case of blueberries from Afinata, or used once again for making a liquor. This time the final product would be a little bit weaker, sweeter and would have a slightly different texture, due to the amount of sugar. Just keep sour cherries in the jar, put sugar on top of it, and let it stay for a couple of months. In case you wish and find it good to improve the aroma with extra alcohol, add it too, and let it stay in a dark place for some more weeks.
