Dec 16th, 2007 | Hungarian cuisine, Hungarian drinks | No Comments
Palinka - the delicious Hungarian fruit Brandy´s
Palinka is one of the most typical of Hungarian alcoholic spirits. It is a bit of Hungarian culture in liquid form and it tastes terrific. Some call it “the flavor of Hungary”. Historically Palinka used to be an important part of the fat diet (bacon, pic fat, bread, onion) of village people since the high alcohol content of the Palinka made digestion easier.
Palinka is a strong (from 40 - 80 %) brandy, double-distilled from a variety of fruits grown in the orchards on the Great Hungarian Plains. The most traditional sorts of Palinka are:
- barack pálinka (appricots),
- cseresznye pálinka (cherries),
- körte pálinka (pears),
- alma pálinka (apples)
- szilva pálinka (plums)
Other popular Palinka flavors are: apple, honey, paprika, herbs and nut. Honey is one of the most recent and is very popular (2007). There are many Palinka producers in Hungary and the quality varies. Some of the more reliable producers are
- the Kecskeméti barack (apricot) pálinka,
- the Szatmári szilva (plum) pálinka,
- Zwacks Vilmoskörte (William’s pear).
Today people drink Palinka usually either as an aperitif before dinner or like a shot beside the beer. It should be served at room temperature. The Hungarians usually take it bottoms up, but take it easy if your not a hard drinker, its strong! You´ll enjoy it better. Just don’t forget the traditional Hungarian cheers “Egéségedre“! Pronaunced E-gey-segg-edd-re.
Palinka is served at most of the bars, discos and nightclubs of Budapest, like nightclub Alcatraz. A shot (4 cl) costs about 3 Euros.
Read more about Hungarian Palinka:
Palinka festival
Nov 25th, 2007 | Budapest nightlife, Budapest weather, Hungarian drinks | 2 Comments
Without a doubt Budapest have one of the best party-scenes among both the central European and Western cities. So if your looking for a good party time with friends you´ve found the right city: Budapest! Budapestguide.net gives you 5 undeniable reasons why:
1. The diverse selection of Budapest entertainment & partys-cene
One of the things that make Budapest such a great party town is that no-mater what kind of entertainment you like chances are you’ll find it in Budapest! The nightscene in Budapest changes constantly with new party concepts, marketing parties from big companies, erotic parties from men’s magazines, international dj:s playing in the clubs, classic nightclub cabarets, not to mention all the pretty girls of Budapest. Budapest nightlife offer you:
1. Drinking in Budapest - how low can you go?
The danger of hangover is high when partying in Budapest since alcohol are still (2007) really cheap in Hungary. Shopping at the local market or grocery store you can buy the local beer (Dreher is really good) for 250 Forints, (1 Euro). Supermarkets have descent selections and Wines start at 800 ft (less than 4 Euros) and 1 liter Royal Vodka for 2500 Forints (10 Euros).
At Budapest bars, discos and clubs beers cost around 500 Forints (4 Euros) and drinks from 1100 (Cuba Libre) to 1800 (4-7 Euros)
3. Getting around - just walk or take a cab!
The distances between the clubs, bars and music pubs are another of the great advantages of Budapest. The city isn’t small but many of the bars, clubs and cafes are close by at walking distances. The main hot spots in Budapest where many interesting party-places are closeby are:
- Liszt Ferenc tér
- Oktogon
- Ráday utca and
- Nyugati
When you need to take a longer ride, especially in the evening and nighttime when public transportation are limited, taxi is still cheap in Budapest. It is also quick and comfortable when you have a limited time in Budapest. A taxi ride within the central parts of Pest and nearby areas of Buda costs about 1500 - 2000 Forints (6-8 Euros). We think its worth saving the time and energy! Just make sure to use Budapest trusted taxi companies listed on our site. The alternative is to find a hotel in the central parts of Budapest.
4. The Weather in Budapest
The warm and comfortable weather makes Hungary a great destination for a Budapest city holiday or weekend vacation. Hungary has a continental climate with around 2000 sun hours in a year which is considerable more than many of the other European City’s. Budapest have long warm summers and even the springs and autumns are relatively warm around 10-15 °C. Budapest weather is simply ideal a large part of the year.
The warmest months are July and August with temperatures around 30 °C. Which means there are lots of great outdoor parties (Zöld Pardon, Simpla Kert, Buddha Beach) and entertainment in Budapest from spring to autumn .
5. The beautiful girls of Budapest
The beauty of Hungarian women is well known. Just walk down any major street in Budapest a hot summer-day and you’ll realize that the saying about the sexy girls of Budapest isn’t a myth. Just take a look at the dazzling Hungarian- American female stars like:
Believe it or not but Budapest nightlife and party scene is packed with hot Hungarian girls just as good looking as these stars. Try nightclubs and music clubs like: Old Mans Music Pub, Club 7 or Alcatraz, all of them within walking distance. Other great music clubs with dazzling Hungarian chicks are Morrisons Music Pub, and Fat Mo´s.
Just watch out for those undercover callgirls and escort babe´s flirting with tourists, not just at the erotic nightclubs and stripclubs. Since prostitution are legal in Budapest the sex and porn industry is huge in Budapest, which of course effects the nightscene of Budapest. Good girl hunting and party on duds!
