🥃 Jabukovača

Jabukovača is the Serbian and Croatian name for apple rakija, a strong drink made from fermented and distilled apples. Under EU law it is a fruit spirit, like slivovitz: at least 37.5% ABV, with no added spirit, flavourings or colourings, and methanol up to 1,200 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

The name. Croatia's rules for strong drinks of 2009 require calling a fruit rakija «rakija» plus the fruit name, as in «rakija od jabuka». The folk form with the suffix is built the same way as slivovitz from plum. Labelling by the fruit name alone is allowed only for a few raw materials, among them plums, mirabelle and Golden Delicious apples.

Rakija or calvados. Jabukovača is distilled from crushed fermented apples: this is EU category 9. Distillate of apple cider falls under category 10, like calvados, and has a lower methanol limit of 1,000 g/hl. So the name points to the raw material and method, not to a place: jabukovača has no EU protected name, unlike the Hungarian apple palinka.

Tradition. In Serbia the main rakija is plum, but households also distil apples, pears, apricots and grapes: ripe fruit is fermented and distilled in a copper still. Rakija is served as an aperitif or after a meal, at room temperature; young distillates are a little cooler so that the fruit aroma opens up.

Why this matters to you. Homemade apple rakija is not checked in a laboratory, and its methanol content depends on the fruit and the distillation. On the label look for the fruit name, the producer and the strength; the word «rakija» alone says nothing about the raw material. WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.