The Perils of the Palinka

The Palinka Effect

Joe, a work friend, gets invited into the apartment of a neighbour in his building. He does not speak Hungarian, the neighbour does not speak English, but the language barrier does not get in the way of hospitality: the neighbour offers him a drink. Joe accepts and the neighbour surprises Joe with a wine glass full of palinka. 

For the uninitiated, palinka is a brandy made from fermented fruit, like apricots, apples or whatever. You can make palinka with anything, like honey. There are big distillers, but it’s also a sort of cottage industry among Hungarians, like whiskey in the South. There are small-batch craft palinkas, and there is also a lot of homemade stuff out there, which is stronger and more dangerous. 

Joe was in the Danger Zone; he had the homemade palinka. He swayed back and forth, tie loosened and eyes all cross-eyed. He left the party early that night. Everyone has their own palinka story of woe. I have awoken up in the morning feeling like I have scorpions wrestling in my skull on several mornings because of the delicious, dangerous drink. 

A Czech art director likes to sip on palinka with a glass of water – much to the disgust of his North American colleagues. But he has the right idea. Palinka is delicious, but dangerous. It must be handled with care. It’s too volatile to mix with beer in copious amounts. It must be respected, you too will have scorpions wrestling in your skull.