Fröccs

Ingredients

Drink

• dry white wine, well chilled
• soda water, well chilled

Optional and disputed

• ice

Directions

1. Use a crisp dry white with real acidity. A soft or oaked wine goes flabby the instant soda hits it.
2. Chill the wine and the soda separately and thoroughly beforehand.
3. Pour the wine into the glass first, then add the soda. Do not stir it, because the pour mixes it perfectly well on its own.
4. Serve at once. Whether to use ice is a genuine argument, and purists hold that the drink should be cold rather than diluted.

Technique

• The names are used in bars everywhere and there are a dozen more beyond these. Ordering the right one is half the pleasure.
• A deciliter is 100 ml, which is the unit Hungarian wine is measured in.
• It is a summer drink and a lunchtime drink, and it is deliberately weak.

Substitutions

• Any dry unoaked white, or a rosé for a rozéfröccs.
• Sparkling mineral water in place of soda water, which is slightly less fizzy.

Variations

• Rozéfröccs, made with rosé, which is now extremely popular.
• Vörösfröccs, made with red wine.
• With elderflower syrup, sold as a fröccs with a name that varies by bar.

History

Named in 1842 after Ányos Jedlik demonstrated soda water; Hungarians still order kisfröccs, nagyfröccs and other fixed wine-to-soda ratios.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fröccs?

Fröccs is a cocktail from Hungary: wine cut with soda water, ordered by named ratios. Named in 1842 after Ányos Jedlik demonstrated soda water; Hungarians still order kisfröccs, nagyfröccs and other fixed wine-to-soda ratios.

How long does Fröccs take to make?

Fröccs takes 2 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fröccs?

Yes, within limits. Any dry unoaked white, or a rosé for a rozéfröccs. Sparkling mineral water in place of soda water, which is slightly less fizzy.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fröccs?

Pour the wine into the glass first, then add the soda. Do not stir it, because the pour mixes it perfectly well on its own.