A clear mulberry brandy, soft and sweetly scented. It is distilled from the white mulberries that shade Macedonian village yards, trees originally planted for silk production and left standing when the silk went.
Distilling without a licence is a criminal offence, and the cut that separates drinkable spirit from methanol-bearing heads is the step people get wrong when they learn it by trial.
What goes into it
- ripe white mulberries
- nothing else
How it is made
Ripe mulberries are crushed and left to ferment on their own sugars for two to four weeks — they are very sweet and ferment fast — then distilled twice in a copper pot still. The distiller keeps only the middle of the second run, and the spirit rests in glass for months before drinking.
How long it takes: weeks to ferment, then months resting
How it is eaten
In small glasses before a meal, at room temperature.
History
Distilled from the white mulberries that shade Macedonian village yards, once planted for silk production.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dudova rakija?
Dudova rakija is a wine & spirit from North Macedonia: clear mulberry brandy, soft and sweetly scented. Distilled from the white mulberries that shade Macedonian village yards, once planted for silk production.
How is Dudova rakija made?
Ripe mulberries are crushed and left to ferment on their own sugars for two to four weeks — they are very sweet and ferment fast — then distilled twice in a copper pot still. The distiller keeps only the middle of the second run, and the spirit rests in glass for months before drinking. It takes weeks to ferment, then months resting.
Can I make Dudova rakija at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Distilling without a licence is a criminal offence, and the cut that separates drinkable spirit from methanol-bearing heads is the step people get wrong when they learn it by trial.
What goes into Dudova rakija?
Ripe white mulberries, nothing else.
How is Dudova rakija eaten?
In small glasses before a meal, at room temperature.
