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.
