Rakija in Herzegovina: A Practical Tasting Guide

Understanding rakija before you taste it

Rakija is the word Bosnians and Herzegovinians use for home-distilled or commercially distilled fruit brandy. It is not a wine, a liqueur, or a beer, and it should never be approached as one: it is a spirit, produced by fermenting fruit and then distilling the result, usually twice, to concentrate the alcohol and smooth out the flavor. The most common base fruit is the plum, giving sljivovica (also written slivovitz outside the Balkans), but you will meet several other variants across Herzegovina, and each behaves differently on the palate and at the table.

The single most useful thing to know before your first glass: rakija typically sits around 35 to 45 percent alcohol by volume, sometimes higher in homemade batches. That puts it in the same range as whisky or vodka, not anywhere near the 12 to 14 percent of the Zilavka or Blatina you might drink later in the same meal. Herzegovina is a wine region as well as a rakija region, and the two drinks are treated very differently in local custom - confusing them is the easiest way to misjudge how a tasting or a dinner will go.

If you want the wine side of the region on its own terms, the separate guide to Zilavka and Blatina, the native grapes of Herzegovina, and the practical guide to the Herzegovina wine route cover that ground; this page stays on the distilled side of the table.

Rakija versus wine: what actually differs

The distinction is not just strength. It runs through how the drink is made, poured, and consumed.

	Rakija	Wine (Zilavka, Blatina)
Production	Fermented fruit, then distilled	Fermented grape juice, not distilled
Typical alcohol	35-45%, sometimes more	12-14%
Serving size	A small glass, a few centiliters	A standard wine glass
Serving temperature	Room temperature	Chilled (white) or cool room temperature (red)
How it’s drunk	Often downed in one go, as a toast	Sipped slowly through a meal
When it appears	Welcome drink, toast, sometimes with coffee	Alongside or after food

Keep that table in mind at any tasting that offers both in the same sitting - a guide or host will usually pour rakija first, in a much smaller glass, and expect a different pace from you than they do for the wine that follows.

The rakija varieties you’ll meet in Herzegovina

Plum rakija (sljivovica) is the default and the one most producers make first, but it is far from the only variant on the table in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Sljivovica - plum brandy, the most widespread variant, ranging from harsh and homemade to smooth and aged in oak.
• Loza / lozovaca - distilled from grape pomace left over after winemaking, similar in spirit to Italian grappa. Herzegovina’s wine-growing pockets around Citluk produce a fair amount of it alongside their Zilavka and Blatina.
• Dunjevaca - quince rakija, generally softer and more aromatic than plum.
• Medovaca - honey rakija, often sweetened and lower in perceived harshness, and the variant most commonly offered to guests or taken for a cold.
• Herbal and nut macerations - walnut (orahovaca), herbs, or dried fruit steeped in a neutral rakija base after distillation, giving a house-specialty flavor that varies from one producer or family to the next.

A guided tasting will usually walk you through two or three of these side by side, which is the easiest way to notice the difference rather than trying to describe it from a single glass.

a guided rakija tasting through several varieties in Mostar is built exactly for that side-by-side comparison, pouring plum, herbal, and fruit rakija in sequence with an explanation of what makes each one different.

How rakija is traditionally served

The ritual matters as much as the drink itself. Rakija is poured into a small glass - often barely a few centiliters - and served at room temperature, never over ice and never in a large pour. It is typically drunk in one motion rather than sipped, as part of a toast: the word to listen for is zivjeli, roughly “to life” or “cheers,” said before the glass is raised.

Two contexts come up constantly in Herzegovina. First, rakija as a welcome drink: guests arriving at a home, a guesthouse, or even a shop are often offered a small glass before anything else is discussed, a custom rooted in regional hospitality rather than tourism. Declining is fine and rarely causes offense, but a small polite sip is the expected response if you accept.

Second, rakija alongside Bosnian coffee: rather than appearing as an after-dinner digestif the way brandy might in other countries, rakija in this region is just as likely to turn up with the thick, slow-brewed coffee described in the guide to drinking Bosnian coffee properly - the two are served together more often than you’d expect, one strong and hot, the other strong and cold.

If you’d rather see the ritual explained step by step than pick it up on the fly, a workshop format covers the pouring, the toast, and the tasting order together: a combined wine and rakija workshop in Mostar walks through both drinks and how locals actually serve them, rather than leaving you to guess at the etiquette.

Where to taste rakija in and around Mostar

You don’t need to seek out a farm or a distillery specifically - rakija tastings are built into a wide range of experiences in and around Mostar, often paired with wine, a small platter of local food, or a wider day trip.

In Mostar’s old town. Small tasting rooms near the Stari Most pour rakija alongside wine and a light local meza - cheese, cured meat, olives - as a short, unhurried stop rather than a full meal. This is the easiest option if you’re staying in town and want to fit a tasting between sightseeing stops; see the wider guide to visiting Mostar as a day trip versus a stay if you’re still deciding how much time to budget for the town itself.

Combined with a wider day out. Several day trips fold a rakija stop into a longer itinerary, so you don’t have to choose between the waterfalls, the wine, and the brandy. a day trip combining the Kravice waterfalls with a rakija tasting is the most direct example, pairing a swim stop at Kravice with a tasting later in the day. If you’re still weighing which operator or route makes sense for Kravice on its own, the guide to choosing an agency for Kravice covers that separately.

As part of a guided tour with wine. For a slower pace that treats the tasting as the main event rather than an add-on, an afternoon guided tour of Mostar with a wine tasting sets aside real time for both the old town and the glass in hand, rather than rushing the tasting between bus stops.

A quicker option. If your schedule is tight, a shorter blitz-style tasting session gives you the core rakija-versus-wine comparison without committing an afternoon to it - useful if you’re passing through Mostar on a tighter day trip from Dubrovnik or Split and only have an hour or two free in town.

Pairing rakija with food, not just wine

Rakija is not usually built to be paired course by course the way wine is - it appears at the start of a meal or as a toast, then steps aside. Where it does interact well with food is alongside the region’s heartier dishes: grilled cevapi, burek, or a smoky ascinica stew stand up to a strong opening pour better than a delicate dish would. The guide to cevapi, burek, and traditional ascinica cooking covers that side of the table in detail, and the guide to where to eat in Mostar by neighborhood will point you toward places likely to pour a rakija alongside the menu rather than just the wine list.

If you’d rather build a whole day or two around Herzegovina’s food and drink rather than a single tasting, the Herzegovina wine and food itinerary strings tastings, meals, and a vineyard stop together, and the wider category page for wine tasting experiences and food and drink activities around Mostar lists what else is bookable if you want to compare options side by side.

Buying rakija to take home

Bottled, labelled rakija from a shop, market stall, or tasting room travels far better than an informally sold plastic bottle bought roadside - the label at least tells you the fruit base and, often, the alcohol percentage, which an unmarked bottle usually does not. Prices for a labelled bottle are modest by Western European standards, and payment is straightforward in convertible mark or euros, though change is handed back in KM even when you pay in euros.

If rakija-making itself interests you beyond the glass, a hands-on workshop format such as a short guided wine and rakija tasting session in Mostar is a lower-commitment way to sample several bottles’ worth of variety before deciding what, if anything, to carry home.

A few practical cautions

Pace yourself. A small glass of 40 percent rakija is not the same commitment as a glass of wine, and a tasting that pours several varieties back to back adds up faster than it looks. If you’re driving afterward - self-driving between Mostar and Blagaj, Kravice, or further into Citluk’s wine country, for instance - treat any rakija stop the way you would a wine stop: skip it, or plan for someone else to drive.

Homemade rakija offered informally by a host or a small roadside stand is usually just strong and inconsistent rather than unsafe, but because strength and quality vary so much from one batch to the next, it’s worth taking the first glass slowly rather than assuming it pours like the labelled bottle you had the night before.

None of this should make rakija sound intimidating. Treated as what it is - a short, strong, sociable pour rather than a slow drink - it’s one of the more distinctive parts of a Herzegovina table, and one that’s easy to fit alongside a wine tasting, a meal, or a short stop in Mostar’s old town without derailing the rest of your day.

Frequently asked questions about rakija in Herzegovina

What is rakija made from?

Most commonly plums (sljivovica), but also grape pomace (loza or lozovaca), quince (dunjevaca), honey (medovaca), or walnuts and herbs steeped after distillation. The fruit is fermented, then distilled, usually twice for a smoother result.

How strong is rakija compared to wine?

Commercial rakija generally runs 35 to 45 percent alcohol by volume, roughly three to four times the strength of a glass of Zilavka or Blatina wine. Homemade batches can be stronger and less consistent.

Is rakija the same as Slivovitz?

Slivovitz is simply another spelling used in Central Europe for plum rakija. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the everyday word is sljivovica, and rakija is the umbrella term covering plum brandy and every other fruit variant.

How should rakija be served and drunk?

In a small glass, at room temperature, never over ice. It is usually downed in one go as part of a toast (zivjeli), rather than sipped slowly like wine or whisky.

Is rakija served before or after a meal?

Traditionally before, as a welcome drink meant to open the appetite, and again as a toast when guests arrive. It can also appear alongside strong Bosnian coffee rather than as a dessert pour.

Where can I try rakija in Mostar?

Old town tasting rooms and guided workshops in Mostar pair rakija with wine and a small local meza, and some day trips combine a rakija stop with a wider Herzegovina itinerary.

Can I buy rakija to take home?

Yes, from shops, markets, and tasting rooms selling bottled, labelled rakija. Informally sold homemade rakija varies a lot in quality and strength, so a labelled bottle from a known producer travels better than a plastic bottle bought roadside.

Is homemade rakija safe to drink?

Most homemade rakija shared by hosts or sold in small family batches is simply strong and inconsistent in flavor rather than unsafe, but strength can be unpredictable, so treat the first glass with caution and pace yourself before accepting a second.