Page 238 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

236  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

What to Drink in Croatia

A wide variety of locally made drinks is available throughout
Croatia, from beers and wines to fiery fruit brandies. Croatian
beer is usually of the lager type but dark beers can also be
found. Foreign brands such as Stella Artois, Tuborg, Beck’s and
Carlsberg are brewed in Croatia under licence, and there
are Irish pubs selling Guinness and other Irish beers. Croatia’s
vineyards yield all kinds of red and white wines, most of
which are rarely seen outside the country. Spirits based
on grapes are popular as aperitifs rather than as after-dinner
drinks, as are other fruit brandies made from plums or pears.
Brandies flavoured with herbs, walnuts or even honey are
also popular. Tap water is safe to drink but if the taste does
not appeal there is a wide range of bottled mineral waters,
both sparkling and still. Typical sign for a pub, pivnica in Croatian
Spirits
A wide variety of spirits
is available in Croatia,
demonstrating the
nation’s fondness for
strong alcoholic drinks,
in particular fruit-based
eaux-de-vie. One of the
most popular spirits is a
plum brandy originating
in Slavonia called
Šljivovica. It is found all Pelinkovac Zrinski
over the country. Loza is liqueur brandy
Traditional utensils for the preparation of strong Turkish coffee a grape-based eau-de-
vie with a high alcohol content, and
Coffee and Tea
Travarica is a herb-based spirit. Vinjak
Coffee (kava) is drunk throughout Croatia. All over is a brandy, Pelinkovac is a herb
the country it is served very strong and black, in liqueur, and Maraskino, a liqueur
little cups, like an espresso coffee. If it is too strong from Zadar, is flavoured with
you can add a little milk or order a cappuccino maraschino cherries.
(freshly ground coffee with frothy hot milk). Many spirits are drunk as aperitifs.
Strong Turkish coffee is also available in some A spirit called Bermet is produced in
places. Herbal teas (čaj) are sold everywhere. Samobor, near Zagreb, and is made
Indian teas can also be found, usually served according to an ancient, well-
with lemon, but you can ask for milk. guarded recipe. It is drunk as an
aperitif, served with ice and a Šljivovica
slice of lemon. eau-de-vie
Beer
Another very popular drink sold in cafés and pubs
is beer (pivo), which is always served very cold.
Most bottled beers are of the
lager type, but some darker
beers can be found. The most
well-known brands of lager
beer are Ožujsko, made in
Zagreb, and Karlovačko
(Karlovac). Another
common brand is Pan. Well-
known international beers
such as Stella Artois are also
widely available (some
brewed under licence in
Karlovačko Ožujsko Croatia), but tend to be Some bottles of eau-de-vie with fruit, made at home all over
beer beer more expensive. the country

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