Spend any time socialising and you will definitely encounter pálinka; traditional fruit brandy made from apricots, plums, pears, cherries or törköly (the skin of the grape). Pálinka has been used to flavour these sweets.

It is a symbol of hospitality, a token of friendship and warmth and we drink it whenever there is a special occasion, or simply a friendship to toast. If you happen to visit someone who has some nice pálinka in their house, they’ll often send you home with some in an empty soft drink bottle. We always seem to end up with such a bottle in our kitchen, and we have to be careful not to mistake it for water when we’re in a hurry!