Clear Libations

According to sutotokinfo.hu, Hungarian pumpkin distillate cannot legally be called pálinka because pumpkin is not a fruit. Interesting, because it is a fruit, but I suppose we get the idea. Párlat is the term that stands in. Sziczek are a well regarded producer who also operate the House of Hungarian Pálinka shop in Budapest. I do find it curious that their brand does not appear on the front label, though it does on the back.

Nose Woah, this is some weird stuff – in a good way. Barnyard, overripe/spoiling raspberries, pet shop, bitter gourds, spaghetti squash, and yes, pumpkin (cooked, sweet). Pungent, estery and aromatic, a lot going on. Rather wild, risks being sickly and offputting but doesn't quite go there. Water brings out a little fruity bubblegum (mango?).

Palate Strong arrival, rather intense and concentrated. Goes on to present most of what's there on the nose, balancing fruit, farm and cucurbits galore, with a mild perceptual sweetness. The raspberry-driven fruity side is really unexpected but very nice. Just a tad hot, but mostly tamed by a small amount of water. Hangs on quite long too, without much development.

Comments Now this was unexpected! Hard to score. Slightly more intellectual than quaffable, but pretty damn good and absolutely recommended as something to try. Parts of this were reminding me of Vaval's clairin, strangely enough.

Price around €35 per 50cl.

Score^?7/10

A fairly small operation in the south, who also distill for home producers. Savanya bottle some of their stuff at 50%, but judge a lower proof to be more suitable for their Aranyszalagos range. The "best before" reads "unlimited time", reassuringly.

Nose Very earthy, just handfuls of dark earth. Second to that, the sweeter side of beets. Some ethanol, a little thyme.

Palate Quite hot, mineralic (vermiculite?), then settles down on straight up raw beetroot and earth. Quite a long finish, with the earth hanging on.

Comments Not bad, worth trying but not really memorable, unless you adore earthy beets.

Price around €47 per 50cl.

Score^?4/10

We'll follow the French term spiritueux to categorize distilled infusions. It seems that several producers in Alsace distill cumin infusions. Black caraway, aka nigella seeds were used here.

Nose Very aromatic: lemon zest, toasting cumin, caraway seeds, mint, anise - all jumping out of the glass, and calling to mind some dishes making heavy use of these herbs and spices.

Palate Balanced delivery, I think this strength is perfect. The spices grip nicely but there's also a sweetness, with anise and spearmint being more pronounced here. Caraway is out in force, and it becomes more herbal, on peppermint, eventually giving way to citrus oils in the finish, particularly lemon. Hangs on quite long.

Comments Couldn't drink a lot of this, but it's pretty fun; a great digestif option.

Price around €40 per 70cl.

Score^?6/10