Croatian Travel: What to Drink
What do they drink in Croatia?
Enjoying a nice glass of wine with your meal while on vacation is one of the perks of going on holiday and wine lovers are always looking for the best local wines to sample while they are doing it. While wine is a very important part of the Croatian culture, it is not necessarily known for its great wines, but there are plenty of highly drinkable wines to choose from there.
Just about every region of Croatia produces its own wine, so whether you are a wine lover or not you will have plenty of good local bottles to choose from. The Istria and Kvarner regions produce a good Terrano and several enjoyable cabernets. Dalmatia makes a good dry Posip using the oldest wine-producing methods in the area. And the Eastern Slavonia regions make a good Rhine Riesling as well as some excellent chardonnays.
If beer is more your thing, you will find many good locally brewed beers in most restaurants and bars. In particular, you might enjoy trying out Zmajska, a Croatian craft beer that is getting recognized as one of the Top 10 best new brewers in the world, but Game of Thrones fans will enjoy it because it has a dragon on the label...and we all know that Croatia is the home the Mother of Dragons!
Croatia, however, is most famous for their plum brandy, cognac, sweet dessert wine, and cherry liqueur made from local maraschino cherries. Most Croatians will enjoy a small glass of these types of drinks before the afternoon and evening meals. While they will also enjoy a glass of wine with dinner as well, you will generally find that they water down their wines, which seems to be the local custom.
After a meal or during breakfast you might want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee, but beware because Croatians like their coffee dark and strong, so you may want to consider bringing your own instant coffee if you are not used to this. Otherwise you might want to ask them to add plenty of milk to water it down a bit. You will mostly find espresso or cappuccino being served rather than the traditional cup of Joe and you can usually find tea if you can’t stomach the coffee.
