Episode 11 is dedicated to Zwack Unicum, the national drink of Hungary. It's a bittersweet herb liqueur bottled at 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof.

Enjoy this episode with some Zwack neat!

Zwack's official website: https://zwackunicum.hu/en/

Brief Historical Timeline:

• 1790 - Unicum invented by Dr. Zwack
• 1840 - Zwack Company founded to commercialize Unicum
• 1883 - Hungarian trademark for Unicum issued
• 1890s - The Zwack distillery produces more than 200 products
• 1892 - New distillery completed on the banks of the Danube
• 1895 - "Sole Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court of Emperor Franz Josef" designation
• 1899 - Begin using the Red Cross on bottles
• 1930s - Company run by brothers Bela and Jonas Zwack
• 1940s - WWII destroys the distillery
• 1945-48 - Distillery rebuilt
• 1948 - Communist regime confiscates the distillery and business
• 1958 - Janos wins an injunction agains the US importer
• 1970s - Peter Zwack, son of Bela, oversees Unicum production in Italy
• 1988 - Peter partners with the state-run Zwack distillery in Hungary
• 1992 - Peter and partners buy out the state at the fall of communism
• 1993 - Zwack Unicum Company listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange
• 2004 - Unicum Next introduced

Key Cocktail:

Zwack isn't very suitable for mixing.

You simply drink it neat. Or chilled, many in Hungary keep a bottle in the freezer.

References:

Hungarian Unicum website: https://unicum.hu/

Taste of Hungary Article

CNN article on Hungary's National Drink

Wikipedia article on Zwack

Bon Appetit article on Zwack Unicum

Contact Information:

Official show website is: www.liquorandliqueurconnoisseur.com

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