🥃 Horincă

Horincă is the folk name for fruit spirit in north Romania, in Maramureș and the Oaș region. The name is used both for plum țuică and for spirits made from other fruit. Most often horincă is made from plums, less often from apples, pears or cherries, and it is distilled twice, which makes it stronger than ordinary țuică.

Names. The regional portal eMaramureș explains that the difference between țuică, pălincă and horincă lies not in strength but in raw material and place. Țuică is plum, pălincă is made from other fruit, and horincă is the local word for both. Locals say a true horincă is «turned» twice.

How it is made. Ripe fruit is fermented and distilled in small stills, and the second distillation cleans and strengthens the spirit. In Transylvania double, and in places triple, distillation is common, which separates unwanted methanol. The drink contains no sugar or flavourings, as an EU fruit spirit should.

Protected name. Horincă de Cămârzana, from the village of Cămârzana in Satu Mare county near the Ukrainian border, is on the EU list of geographical indications as a fruit spirit. It is one of nine Romanian spirit drink names protected in the EU, alongside pălincă and țuică from Argeș.

Why it matters to you. Homemade horincă can be very strong, and a poorly distilled spirit may contain too much methanol. A bottle that shows strength and producer is the safer choice. Hospitality in Maramureș does not oblige you to drink. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.