A fröccs is the Hungarian wine spritzer: wine topped up with soda water. It is the drink Hungarians love most, and it is usually made with white wine.
Photo: tutu from Budapest, Hungary / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Each size has its own name:
- Kisfröccs: 1 dl wine and 1 dl soda
- Nagyfröccs: 2 dl wine and 1 dl soda
- Hosszúlépés (“long step”): 1 dl wine and 2 dl soda, the lightest one
Where to drink one
- Mátra Borozó. A tiny wine bar on the Buda side (Corvin tér 1) with the best story. It opened in 1948 and has no bar counter, just a simple metal box with wine containers in the middle. The owner works in a white lab coat, and the no-frills service is part of the charm.
- Zsír. An old-school cellar bar (the Fővárosi Kulipintyó) on Kiss József utca in District VIII, with regular live music, mostly folk, world music and jazz. Draft beer comes with zsíroskenyér, bread with lard, onion and paprika. Try it at least once, it is a very Hungarian classic.
Tip. Wine spritzers and pálinka go down more easily than they should and are stronger than they taste. Pace yourself.
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