The Slivovica is a traditional alcohol that we can find in all the southeast Europe. It’s a damson plum liquor which contains about 45% alcohol. All the fruit is used to produce this liquor, even the ground kernels, which are crushed and pressed. Sugar is added to allow the fermentation. Then, the mixture is distilled at least one time, but it can be more.
In Slovakia, we can find Slivovica in many places : supermarkets, where the price of a bottle can vary, depending on the quality (from 6€ to 30€ for the best ones), and also bars (obviously !), where a glass (4cl) costs approximately 2€.
One night, during a « discovering of Nitra » event organised by the Erasmus association of the city, we tasted Slivovica and to be honnest, we didn’t really like it.
But we also tasted other typical alcohols. Slivovica is drank for the aperitif. After, Slovak peoples start the meal with Borovicka. It’s made from juniper berries and contains 40% alcohol.
We also tasted the Hruškovica, which is a pear liquor. That’s 52% alcohol, which is a bit strong, but very good ! And it helps to fight the cold Slovak winter wind !
The last one that we tasted is the Tatratea. Its name comes from the Tatras mountains, where it is produced from herbs. There are several kinds of Tatratea, depending on the alcohol level (from 17 to 72). The most popular one is the 52%. When you taste the 72% Tatratea, you understand why people prefer drink the 52%…
Benoit Jamet-Fournier
Erasmus in Slovakia 