🥃 Brinjevec

Brinjevec is a Slovenian spirit distilled from fermented common juniper berries. If you know gin or genever, it is a different thing: an EU geographical indication in category 9, fruit spirit. It can be made anywhere in Slovenia; the bottled spirit must contain at least 40% ABV, and before sale it must mature for no less than six months.

What makes it special. Gin, borovička and genever are spirits flavoured with juniper berries. Brinjevec, by contrast, is made from the berries alone: they contain 20-30% sugar, so they can be fermented. The technical file therefore calls comparisons with juniper-flavoured drinks incorrect. The taste is distinctly juniper, bitter and sharp.

Production. Common juniper berries are picked ripe from August to November and are preferably dried. Savin juniper is not allowed. The berries are coarsely crushed, mixed with water and yeast, and the mash ferments for about a month at 15-20 °C. The first distillation takes place in a copper pot still, where the juniper oil is separated with a Florentine vessel; the second in a pot or column still. About 20 litres of spirit come from 100 kg of berries.

History. The earliest written mention is in Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's 1689 work The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola; the word also appears in Marko Pohlin's dictionary of 1781. The best-known local varieties are the karst brinjevec from the Karst and Brkini regions and the Pleterje brinjevec from the Carthusian monastery at Pleterje in Dolenjska. National rules for the name were adopted in 2010.

Why this matters to you. A genuine brinjevec label must show the laboratory mark and a compliance report number, in addition to the name. Folk beliefs that it is a home remedy for cramps have no basis: it is a strong alcoholic drink of at least 40% ABV. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.