A dark, bitter, medicinal wormwood liqueur drunk chilled, made in Zagreb from 1862 by the Pokorny distillery. It became the characteristic bitter of the Habsburg-era Croatian capital and is still drunk that way.
It is built on a distilled spirit and on wormwood, whose thujone content is legally capped and which is dangerous in quantity; the commercial recipes are proprietary.
What goes into it
- a neutral or grape spirit
- wormwood
- gentian, bitter orange and other herbs
- sugar
How it is made
Wormwood and a blend of other bitter herbs are macerated in spirit for weeks, the extract blended with sugar syrup and water, then rested and filtered. The proportions of the herb blend are the producer’s, and wormwood is the one that has to be controlled: its thujone content is limited by law.
How long it takes: weeks of maceration, then resting
How it is eaten
Chilled, neat or over ice with a slice of lemon or orange.
History
Made in Zagreb from 1862 by the Pokorny distillery using wormwood; it became the characteristic bitter of the Habsburg-era Croatian capital.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pelinkovac?
Pelinkovac is a wine & spirit from Croatia: bitter wormwood liqueur, dark and medicinal, drunk chilled. Made in Zagreb from 1862 by the Pokorny distillery using wormwood; it became the characteristic bitter of the Habsburg-era Croatian capital.
How is Pelinkovac made?
Wormwood and a blend of other bitter herbs are macerated in spirit for weeks, the extract blended with sugar syrup and water, then rested and filtered. The proportions of the herb blend are the producer’s, and wormwood is the one that has to be controlled: its thujone content is limited by law. It takes weeks of maceration, then resting.
Can I make Pelinkovac at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is built on a distilled spirit and on wormwood, whose thujone content is legally capped and which is dangerous in quantity; the commercial recipes are proprietary.
What goes into Pelinkovac?
A neutral or grape spirit, wormwood, gentian, bitter orange and other herbs, sugar.
How is Pelinkovac eaten?
Chilled, neat or over ice with a slice of lemon or orange.
