A sweet, herb-and-spice fortified wine from Sremski Karlovci, made to closely guarded family recipes. It was exported to the Habsburg court and is said to have been served aboard the Titanic.
It is a fortified wine — a licensed operation using a distilled spirit — and the herb recipes are closely held family secrets, with wormwood among the botanicals whose thujone content is legally capped.
What goes into it
- local white or red wine
- grape spirit
- sugar or must
- wormwood, and a family’s own mix of up to twenty herbs, roots and spices
How it is made
Wine is fortified with grape spirit and sweetened, then a mixture of herbs, roots, citrus peel and spices is macerated in it for weeks to months. Each producing family in Karlovci keeps its own bill and does not publish it, which is why the town’s bermets differ noticeably from one another.
How long it takes: weeks to months of maceration, then resting
How it is eaten
Cool in a small glass as an aperitif or after dinner, with strudel.
History
Made in Sremski Karlovci from closely guarded herb recipes; it was exported to the Habsburg court and is said to have been served aboard the Titanic.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bermet?
Bermet is a wine & spirit from Serbia: sweet, herb-and-spice fortified wine from Sremski Karlovci. Made in Sremski Karlovci from closely guarded herb recipes; it was exported to the Habsburg court and is said to have been served aboard the Titanic.
How is Bermet made?
Wine is fortified with grape spirit and sweetened, then a mixture of herbs, roots, citrus peel and spices is macerated in it for weeks to months. Each producing family in Karlovci keeps its own bill and does not publish it, which is why the town’s bermets differ noticeably from one another. It takes weeks to months of maceration, then resting.
Can I make Bermet at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a fortified wine — a licensed operation using a distilled spirit — and the herb recipes are closely held family secrets, with wormwood among the botanicals whose thujone content is legally capped.
What goes into Bermet?
Local white or red wine, grape spirit, sugar or must, wormwood, and a family’s own mix of up to twenty herbs, roots and spices.
How is Bermet eaten?
Cool in a small glass as an aperitif or after dinner, with strudel.
