Magazine: Short or long drink?

Our magazine has asked some manufacturers what they think about the opportunities lying in pálinka cocktails.

Zsolt Dömötör, managing director of 1 Csepp Pálinka Kft.

– Pálinka is the perfect cocktail ingredient. This spirit is characterised by very sophisticated flavours. Just mix an Irsai Olivér grape pálinka with tonic and ice, and gin and tonic comes nowhere near! We helped them with ideas and pálinkas.

Csilla Tollas, sales and marketing director of Agárdi Pálinkafőzde Kft.

– We started to call attention to pálinka as a cocktail ingredient 10 years ago, for instance one of our recipes was mojito made with Irsai Olivér grape pálinka. Our new cocktails are created in cooperation with bartenders. Organising a pálinka cocktail championship would be a great idea!

Dömötör Haász, brand manager of Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország’s Rézangyal portfolio

– In the last few years we had developed some pálinka-based cocktails but we stopped after a while. Our experience is that most people still like to drink pálinka the traditional way.

László Nagy, CEO of Kunság-Szesz Zrt.

–We reckon that one of pálinka’s biggest problems is that it isn’t widely used as a long drink ingredient. We have some pálinka cocktail recipes, all we should do is convince a few famous bartenders to start making and popularising them.

Gergely Lakatos, CEO of Panyolai Szilvórium Zrt.

– Two years ago we were among the first to introduce pálinka-based cocktails, created by the famous bartender András Lajsz. A pálinka cocktail championship would have a positive effect on the popularity of pálinka.

János Szicsek, managing director of Szicsek Kft.

– My view is that pálinka doesn’t work as a cocktail ingredient because it is too characteristic to form part of a long drink. More neutral spirits are better for making cocktails. We have also experimented a bit and found: it is very difficult to make a good cocktail from pálinka.

Attila Csobolya, pálinka distilling master of Várda-Drink Zrt.

– Pálinka is the perfect cocktail ingredient. They stand out of from 200-300ml cocktails even if only 4cl is used. Várda Drink developed a special series of cocktails, which have been received well at various social events. We help our bar and restaurant owner partners with professional and financial assistance in using pálinka as a cocktail ingredient.

Bianka Czomba, sales and marketing manager of Zimek Kft.

– We welcome any initiative and trend that popularises pálinka consumption. I think that there might be demand for pálinka cocktails, but it will be limited in terms of both place and time

Virág Kiss, brand manager of Zwack Unicum Nyrt.

– We believe that pálinka has what it takes to be used as a cocktail ingredient, but this type of consumption isn’t well-known yet. But if any of our partners wish to go in this direction, we are happy to help them with recipes and advice. //