Indulgences

1. Ракија

   Ra-ki-ja

   Fruit brandy (rakija)

   Usage

   The general term for a strong spirit distilled from fermented fruit. Strength runs from 15% to 55%; the plum version lands around 45%. ⚠ It is poured in a small glass before the meal and is strong — say no at the outset if you are driving. Each base fruit has its own name (šljivovica, lozovača and so on)

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; genitive and plural both "rakije"

2. Шљивовица

   Šlji-vo-vi-ca

   Plum brandy

   Usage

   Rakija distilled from fermented plums (šljiva): 40–45% after ageing, 50–60% before dilution. The Požegača and Crvena ranka varieties are held to give the best spirit. "Šumadijska šljivovica" carries a geographical-origin designation, and in 2022 UNESCO inscribed the knowledge and practices around plum spirit on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (the national register listed it in 2015)

   Grammar Note

   Feminine: "šljiva" plus the suffix "-ovica". The same pattern turns any base fruit into a spirit name (loza → lozovača, dunja → dunjevača)

3. Лозовача

   Lo-zo-va-ča

   Grape-pomace brandy

   Usage

   Made from "kljuk" — the skins, pips and stems left after pressing — fermented for about two weeks and distilled without separating the liquid. 100 kg of pomace yields roughly 15 litres at 50%. Often called simply "loza"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine: "loza" (grapevine) plus "-ovača"

4. Кајсијевача

   Kaj-si-je-va-ča

   Apricot brandy

   Usage

   Rakija made from apricots (kajsija). Rakija menus list the spirits by their base fruit, so this is the form you will see

   Grammar Note

   Feminine: "kajsija" plus "-evača" — the soft stem takes "-evača" rather than "-ovača"

5. Дуњевача

   Du-nje-va-ča

   Quince brandy

   Usage

   Rakija made from quince (dunja) — the same fruit that goes into slatko, the whole-fruit preserve

   Grammar Note

   Feminine: "dunja" plus "-evača". ⚠ The letter њ (U+045A) is a single character, not н + ј

6. Виљамовка

   Vi-lja-mov-ka

   Williams pear brandy

   Usage

   Rakija from the Williams pear variety; pear rakija in general is "kruškovača"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine, coined from the pear variety name; it takes "-ovka" rather than the usual "-ovača"

7. Пелинковац

   Pe-lin-ko-vac

   Wormwood bitter liqueur

   Usage

   A bitter spirit of at most 35% alcohol, scented with wormwood (pelen) alongside 26 other medicinal herbs. ⚠ The bitterness is pronounced. Take it cold with ice, before the meal or after it

   Grammar Note

   Masculine: "pelen" plus "-kovac"

8. Бермет

   Ber-met

   Sweet herbal dessert wine

   Usage

   A sweet aromatised wine, 16–18% alcohol, made from red or white grapes off the slopes of Fruška Gora with medicinal herbs added. It comes from the Srem wine country, above all Sremski Karlovci. Served in small measures with dessert

   Grammar Note

   Masculine; genitive "bermeta"

9. Црно вино

   Cr-no vi-no

   Red wine

   Usage

   ⚠ Serbian calls red wine "crno vino" — literally "black wine". The newer "crveno vino" (red wine) is also heard, but "crno vino" is the traditional term. White is "belo vino"

   Grammar Note

   The neuter adjective "crno" agrees with the neuter noun "vino". ⚠ The "r" in "crno" is syllabic — it forms a syllable with no vowel

10. Точено пиво

    To-če-no pi-vo

    Draught beer

    Usage

    Beer poured from the tap in cafés and bars, as opposed to bottled. Serbia drinks about 80 litres of beer per head a year, mid-table for Europe

    Grammar Note

    The participle "točen" takes the neuter ending to agree with "pivo"

11. Шприцер

    Špri-cer

    White wine spritzer

    Usage

    ⚠ Strictly white wine mixed with soda water from a siphon — nothing else goes in, and a drink with other ingredients is not a "špricer"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, from German "Spritzer"

12. Цигарете

    Ci-ga-re-te

    Cigarettes

    Usage

    ⚠ Under Serbia's second-hand smoke law (Sl. glasnik RS 30/2010), a venue of 80 m² or less may choose to allow smoking throughout or ban it entirely, and must post which at the door. Larger venues must either build a separate smoking room or keep at least 50% of the space non-smoking. Check the sign before you go in. A pack is "paklo cigareta"

    Grammar Note

    A plural; the singular "cigareta" is feminine, and the genitive plural is also "cigareta"

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