A Guide to Rakija: Serbia's National Spirit and Where to Try It in Belgrade

Rakija is Serbia's national spirit, a strong fruit brandy that sits at the centre of social life across the country. If you spend any time in Belgrade you will be offered a glass sooner or later, at a housewarming, a name day, a business meeting or a wake. It is distilled from fermented fruit and usually lands somewhere between 40 and 50 percent alcohol, with homemade batches often higher. The most respected version is šljivovica, made from plums, and its production was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2022, which tells you how seriously Serbs take it.

The main types you will meet

• Šljivovica (plum) is the classic and the benchmark. Dry, warming, faintly smoky when aged in wood.
• Kajsijevača (apricot) and viljamovka (Williams pear) are softer and fruitier, popular with people who find plum too austere.
• Dunja (quince) is aromatic and a common welcome drink in homes.
• Loza or lozovača (grape) is closer to Italian grappa.
• Medovača (with honey), orahovača (green walnut, dark and bitter) and klekovača (juniper) are the flavoured and infused styles.

Rakija is a sipping drink, not a party shot, whatever the tourist bars suggest. It is usually served at room temperature in a small tulip-shaped glass called a čokanj, and drunk slowly before a meal to open the appetite, often alongside meze: kajmak, cheese, cured meat, pickles. Clear fruit rakija is best at room temperature, and only a few flavoured types are chilled. When you raise your glass, look the other person in the eye and say živeli (cheers). Do not knock it back and expect a refill every thirty seconds. One good rakija before lunch is the local rhythm.

Rakia Bar

The obvious starting point. Rakia Bar opened in 2006 and keeps more than a hundred varieties behind the counter, from serious aged plum to quince, honey and herb infusions. The staff are used to newcomers and will build you a tasting flight and explain what you are drinking. There are branches in the central Dorćol area and in Zemun.

Belgrade Urban Distillery

Known locally as BUD, this is the city's first craft distillery open to visitors, producing small batches of rakija and fruit liqueurs. Book a tasting and you get the drinks plus the how and why of distilling.

Kafanas and Skadarlija

For atmosphere over selection, order a rakija in a traditional kafana. The cobbled Skadarlija quarter is the tourist-facing version, with live music and older waiters who will steer you toward the house pour. Any honest neighbourhood kafana will have a domaća (homemade) rakija worth trying.

Somebody's kitchen

The best rakija in Serbia is never sold. If a local invites you home and brings out an unlabelled bottle from a relative in the village, that is the real thing. Accept it, sip it, and compliment the family who made it.

A glass in a bar usually runs somewhere around 250 to 450 dinars (roughly 2 to 4 euros), a little more for rare aged bottlings. A decent bottle of commercial šljivovica in a shop starts around 1,200 to 2,500 dinars, while premium aged brands climb well beyond that. If you want a souvenir, look for named producers from the plum-growing regions rather than the cheapest supermarket label.