Egg Liquor's for Girls, Palinka for Men

Had quite an evening Tuesday night with a few colleagues. I visited Cafe Déryné (1st district, Krisztina tér 3) on the Buda side of the river. In addition to an excellent meal I had a chance to try some new varieties of Palinka. The restaurant is trendy eatery located near the tunnel and chain bridge below the castle.

I started off the evening with Torkoly Palinka, which is made with grapes as noted in an earlier post, rather than the more traditional plum and pear varieties. I also learned a lesson in Hungarian drinking etiquette when I was advised to ensure good eye contact when toasting someone. Never a good idea to annoy your hosts, especially after a few rounds of high proof fruit brandies.

After the Torkoly, and after a eating a little food, I tried the Szila Palinka, made with plums. An interesting taste, and entirely in a good way. By the end of the evening and the bottles of wine, there was no room left for dessert. Fortunately, that didn't mean I couldn't try the Barack Palinka, made with peaches. Not bad, but I think the palinka made with grapes was still my favorite.

And what about the egg liquor, you ask? Well, the restaurant provided a small glass of Toja's Likor, which is a bit like Bailey's Irish Creme and, I'm told, made with eggs. One of my Hungarian companion's dismissed the drink without even trying it, commenting that it was a drink for girls. Not wanting to offend my hosts, and being several glasses into my experiments at this point, I downed the Likor. It was creamy, and Bailey's like as expected. Not sure I would say it was a drink for girls, but not really a drink for me either.