Šljivovica / Medovača

The story

Šljivovica, plum brandy, and medovača, its honeyed variation, go beyond the role of a drink in Serbia—they are regarded almost as a national symbol and as the basis of an ancient rule of hospitality by which every guest, the moment they step into the house, is first offered a small glass of rakija before anything else. The base spirit is traditionally made at home in a small still (a kazan), by a process of distillation that in Serbia has a centuries-old, legal village tradition tied to the fall plum harvest. Medovača is made by a simple infusion of already finished rakija with honey and, if desired, spices, left to rest for weeks. For Serbian families in America, it is worth knowing: in the United States, unlike in Serbia, federal law does not allow distilling spirits at home without a permit, so the recipe has to start from store-bought plum brandy or vodka, with the honey and spice infusion done at home—the same craft, from a different starting point than in the old country.