🥃 Kecskemét apricot pálinka (Kecskeméti Barackpálinka)
Apricot pálinka from the sandy Kiskunság around Kecskemét: only stone-free apricots from local orchards, from 40 % vol.
Kecskemét apricot pálinka (Kecskeméti Barackpálinka) is a Hungarian EU geographical indication for pálinka from apricots grown in Kecskemét and 23 neighbouring municipalities on the sandy Kiskunság plateau between the Danube and the Tisza. The apricots are used without their stones, together with the flesh, and fermentation, distillation, ageing and bottling are carried out only in this area.
The name has been protected in the EU since 23 September 2003 (PGI-HU-02042). The area covers Lajosmizse, Nagykőrös, Izsák, Tiszakécske and other settlements of Bács-Kiskun and Pest counties. According to the technical file, the sand gives plenty of heat to the fruit by day and cools quickly at night; the season brings up to 1770 hours of sunshine and over 3200 degree-days. The orchards spread after the phylloxera of the late 19th century, and in 1930 there were 356,000 apricot trees around Kecskemét.
The permitted varieties are Magyar kajszi, Gönci Magyar kajszi, Pannónia, Ceglédi bíborkajszi, Bergeron and others approved in this area. A batch must be of a single variety, with a refraction of 15 % or more and fruit of 30 mm in diameter or more. The mash ferments for 7–14 days at 18–22 °C, distillation is double fractional or in equivalent equipment, resting is in stainless steel, and ageing, if done, is in wooden barrels.
Strength is 40–86 % vol., methanol up to 1200 g/hl, volatile substances from 200 g/hl of pure alcohol. Flavourings, colourings and sugar are prohibited. Kecskemét's first official distillery appeared in 1796, and according to the file the drink gained fame from the 1935 visit of the heir to the British throne, the future King Edward VIII. The container is glass or ceramic of up to 1 l.
Why this matters to you. «Kecskeméti» guarantees apricots from the Kiskunság and bottling on the spot, whereas an ordinary barackpálinka may come from fruit of any part of Hungary. Do not confuse it with Gönci — a different area and different varieties. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
Facts
| EU category | 9 — fruit distillate; PGI-HU-02042, protected since 23.09.2003 |
|---|---|
| Raw material | stone-free apricots from Kecskemét and 23 Kiskunság municipalities; refraction from 15 % |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40–86 % vol. |
| Minimum maturation | not compulsory; resting in stainless steel, ageing in wooden barrels |
| Distillation method | double fractional distillation in a closed system or equivalent equipment |
| Legal basis | technical file Ares(2017)1170594; Reg. (EU) 2019/787, Art. 37; Hungarian Act LXXIII of 2008 |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Kecskemét apricot pálinka (Kecskeméti Barackpálinka) → kind of → 🍎 Fruit brandies → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation, 🍷 Yeast
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Glass
- Made from
- 🧪 Water
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🍎 Fruit brandies, 🥃 Pálinka
- Related to
- 📍 Kunság, 🌍 Central Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Fruit spirit, 🥃 Gönc apricot pálinka (Gönci Barackpálinka), 🥃 Homokhátság peach pálinka (Homokháti őszibarack pálinka), 🥃 Madaras quince pálinka (Madarasi birspálinka), 🥃 Gönc apricot pálinka (Gönci Barackpálinka), 🥃 Homokhátság peach pálinka (Homokháti őszibarack pálinka), 🥃 Madaras quince pálinka (Madarasi birspálinka)
Frequently asked questions
What is Kecskemét apricot pálinka?
An EU-protected name (category 9) for apricot pálinka from Kecskemét and 23 municipalities of the sandy Kiskunság plateau; every stage, from fermentation to bottling, takes place in this area.
Is it true that Kecskemét pálinka is distilled together with the stones?
No. The apricots are used without their stones, together with the flesh. To give the traditional taste, some dried stones may be added to the mash during distillation.
Which apricot varieties are permitted?
Magyar kajszi, Gönci Magyar kajszi, Pannónia, Ceglédi bíborkajszi, Bergeron and other varieties approved for growing in the area. A batch must be of a single variety, with a refraction of 15 % or more and fruit of 30 mm or more.
Is it ever aged?
Yes. Young pálinka is colourless or pale yellow; after ageing in wooden barrels the colour darkens up to amber.
Why can it be bottled only on the spot?
According to the technical file, transport in bulk endangers traceability and mixing with pálinka from other regions, and excise and food control in Hungary is organised by region.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🧪 Water — ~87% of milk.
Similar
🥃 Gönc apricot pálinka (Gönci Barackpálinka) · 🥃 Szabolcs apple pálinka (Szabolcsi Almapálinka) · 🥃 Újfehértó sour cherry pálinka (Újfehértói meggypálinka) · 🥃 Nagykunság quince pálinka (Nagykunsági birspálinka) · 🥃 Madaras quince pálinka (Madarasi birspálinka) · 🥃 Békés plum pálinka (Békési Szilvapálinka)
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- eAmbrosia: technical file «Kecskeméti Barackpálinka» (transmission of an established GI), Ares(2017)1170594 — EN version
- eAmbrosia (EU register of geographical indications): Kecskeméti Barackpálinka, PGI-HU-02042 (EUGI00000014165)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019): Annex I cat. 9 (fruit spirit), Art. 37
- 2008. évi LXXIII. törvény a pálinkáról, a törkölypálinkáról és a Pálinka Nemzeti Tanácsról (Hungary, Act LXXIII of 2008)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)