Slivovitz Showdown | From Plum to Palate

Gabe delves into his vast liquor cabinet and compares 3 popular plum brandies and how best to use them, as a mixer or as a shot.
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Gabe's take:
BISTRA SLIVOVITZ
+ Serbian
+ Aged in Wood Barrel
+ 50% Alcohol Content
+ Potent
+ Sweet
+ Fruity
+ Very Tasty
+ Good mixer
+ Use with moderation
MARASKA SLIIVOVICA
+ Croatian
+ Popular
+ 40% Alcohol Content
+ Savory
+ Smooth
+ Woody Taste
+ Subtle Plum Flavor
+ Light Fruity Profile
ZWACK SLIVOVITZ
+ Hungarian
+ Kosher
+ Medicinal Smell
+ Memorable
+ Interesting Profile
+ Bitter Aftertaste
+ Not a Good Mixer
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[@vuko8767]

Serbs take our slivovitz very seriously lol. Best enjoyed as a shot, but for cocktails it also makes a very good sidecar. Thank you for covering it! Most will say homemade is best, and that is often true, however as far as commercially available brands go, Zuta Osa and Kraljica (both Serbian) are good as well. Of course everyone has their personal preferences and other Balkan people will argue forever about who makes the best, so the only answer is to try them all and see for yourself :)

[@jamescoble2415]

I just tried this before a passover seder a couple days ago. I really liked it.

[@michaelpeper2778]

Not a lot of plum brandy reviews out there, so I enjoyed this! I haven't gotten any of these or any other bottles, but this was really helpful and displays the range of the category.

[@topshelfhistory]

I’m happy you enjoyed! They are certainly worth a try!

[@ptc74]

Until u get slivovitz from a village or town in Serbia, Croatia, or any Balkan country u haven't had REAL slivovitz. Domace rakija is REAL traditional slivovitz and its more potent and much smoother

[@topshelfhistory]

I’ve heard as much with some of my friends! I will certainly have to get out to the Balkans to try the real traditional stuff!

[@abirwait5636]

Well... I come from a slivovice drinking country (Czechia). Everybody with an orchard makes his own slivovice (fruit varies), the prepare the pulp and after fermentation they take it to a state distillery (almost every village has one for this purpose). They are charged per alcohol volume. Preferred alcohol content in Czechia is 50-55%. When good care is taken while preparing the pulp the results is amazing, nothing the commercial product can challenge. I live in Canada so I know the Croatian, Serbian and Hungarian products. The commercial slivovitz has an artificial taste added (read the label), overdone, and that is what you are judging here. The closest to the clean slivovitz taste is actually the Hungarian Zwack. I don't know what they do for the US market, but in Canada it has 47% alcohol content.
I don't think that in central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary) anybody who has a choice would not buy the artificial commercial products reviewed here. Anyway, I don't have that choice so I am with Zwack and another distillate of choice that is close to the "real" stuff, is Zwack PesceTes Barack Palinka Apricot Brandy.
Thanks for the review!
In USA you can try the Czech commercial brand, Jelinek Kosher slivovitz (45% or 50%). Again, much closer to the real slivovitz than the Croatian and Serbian attempts.