🥃 Kajsijevača

Kajsijevača is the Balkan answer to apricot brandy: a clear fruit distillate made from fermented apricots, known as rakija. The name comes from kajsija, the word for apricot in Serbia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina; in Croatia the same drink is more often called rakija od marelice. Alongside plum brandy and grape rakija, it is one of the best-known fruit distillates of the Balkans.

Rules. In the EU this drink belongs to category 9 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, fruit spirit: it is made only from fermented fresh fruit, distilled below 86% ABV, with no added alcohol or flavourings, and sold at a minimum of 37.5% ABV. The Bosnian regulation on spirit drinks, aligned with EU law, limits methanol in apricot rakija to 1,200 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

Production. Ripe apricots are mashed and fermented, then distilled once or twice in copper stills. There is no protected name for kajsijevača, so the taste depends on the variety, the ripeness of the fruit and the distiller. Some producers age it in wood, and then it takes on a golden colour.

Tradition. In the Balkans rakija is offered to guests with coffee and raised at christenings, weddings and funerals. Apricot rakija is valued for its bright fruity aroma, so it is mostly drunk from small glasses, unmixed. Similar apricot drinks have protected names in Hungary, such as Kecskeméti Barackpálinka, and in Trentino in Italy.

Why it matters to you. Home-made rakija is not checked, and fruit distillates can contain more methanol than grain spirits, which is why legal limits exist. The aroma of apricot does not make the drink lighter: it is a strong spirit at 37.5% ABV and above. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.