{{Short description|Croatian bitter liqueur}} {{Infobox drink | name = Pelinkovac | image = Pelinkovac1.png | caption = Pelinkovac is a bitter-sweet liqueur based on wormwood. | type = Liqueur | abv = 28–35% | region = Balkans }}
'''Pelinkovac''' is a bitter-sweet liqueur derived from wormwood. Pelinkovac is a liqueur with a noticeably bitter taste of wormwood, from which it is made, with the addition of 26 different medicinal herbs that enrich it with a specific aroma and pleasant scent. It contains up to 35% alcohol. It is drunk chilled without ice, as an aperitif before and digestif after meals.
==History== Before commercialization, the liqueur was used as a home remedy for "cleansing the blood and settling the stomach".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Dara |first=Jillian |date=7 March 2024 |title=A Renewed Interest in Herbal Liqueurs Is Driving Attention to Native Ingredients |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/herbal-liqueurs-ancient-history-8605461 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}}</ref> Wormwood was believed to stimulate digestion and appetite and to have antiparasitic and antibacterial properties.<ref name=":2" />
Badel's Antique Pelinkovac, a Croatian brand, was created in 1862 by chemist Franjo Pokorny as a digestif.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-11-18 |title=Croatian drink Pelinkovac declared one of the world’s most interesting by American magazine |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/croatian-drink-pelinkovac-declared-one-of-the-worlds-most-interesting-by-american-magazine/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Croatia Week |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-28 |title=Rugged Boots, Croatian Liqueur and Pickleball |url=https://www.urbandaddy.com/articles/44046/rugged-boots-croatian-liqueur-and-pickleball |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=UrbanDaddy |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-06-19 |title=“Centuries-old Tales” – The 150-Year Story of Pelinkovac |url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/centuries-old-tales-the-150-year-story-of-pelinkovac/#google_vignette |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Croatia Week |language=en}}</ref> According to maker Antique Herbal Liqueur, it was the first bottled commercial version.<ref name=":2" />
== Description and serving == The taste is described as bittersweet and herbal, with a dominant flavour of anise, which is derived from wormwood.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> It is served neat, on ice, or in cocktails, sometimes garnished with orange.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rasin |first=Lara |date=22 November 2021 |title=Croatian Pelinkovac proclaimed one of world's most interesting drinks |url=https://www.timeout.com/croatia/news/croatian-pelinkovac-proclaimed-one-of-worlds-most-interesting-drinks-112221 |website=Time Out}}</ref>
== Popularity == The drink is common throughout the Balkans.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Homans |first=Charles |last2=Ackerman |first2=Jenn |date=2025-03-30 |title=On Minnesota’s Iron Range, Trump’s Tariffs Could Be Boom or Bust |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/us/politics/trump-tariffs-canada-minnesota-iron-range.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare |access-date=2025-04-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> In 2021, ''USA Today'' named a Croatian brand, Badel’s Antique Pelinkovac, to its list of "15 must-try spirits, liqueurs and canned cocktails".<ref name=":1" />
==Similar liqueurs== *Piołunówka, a Polish wormwood liqueur
==See also== * Slivovitz * Absinthe
==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[https://www.croatiaweek.com/centuries-old-tales-the-150-year-story-of-pelinkovac/ “Centuries-old Tales” – The 150-Year Story of Pelinkovac], ''Croatia Week'', 19 June 2015
{{portal bar|Liquor}}
Category:Liqueurs Category:Bitters Category:Absinthe Category:Herbal liqueurs Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina alcoholic drinks Category:Croatian distilled drinks Category:Montenegrin distilled drinks Category:Serbian distilled drinks Category:Slovenian distilled drinks