Zwack Unicum
One of the most distinctive within the category of liqueurs is the group of herbal liqueurs. It is safe to say that they marked the beginning of the conscious use of alcohol, when our ancestors realized that alcohol is an excellent solvent and using it is the easiest way to turn the active ingredients of plants into medicine.
There was only one problem to be solved: the herbal extracts prepared in this way were often too bitter and they were made drinkable by the addition of sweet plant parts, but mainly sugar. Over time, one can get accustomed to this bitter taste or even get to love it! Nowadays, herbal liqueurs are drunk primarily for their enjoyment value, with their medicinal properties being secondary...
The most widely known herbal liqueurs, including Unicum, are characterised by their ageing in barrels, which is not common in the world of liqueurs.
Liqueurs are the most colourful category in the vast family of spirits. Often also in a literal sense, as the essence of liqueurs is to soak (extract) various fruits or herbs, or even seeds, spices, flowers, in a spirit base - and then add some sweetener to achieve the perfect flavour harmony. Here, in liqueurs, colour is a direct result of soaking, it is like making tea or coffee, only not with water, but with alcohol, and then sweetening it with sugar. The tradition is ancient, liqueurs have actually been made ever since the distillation technique became known.
Unicum is an herbal liqueur first created by Dr. Zwack in 1790. The production process and secret recipe have remained unchanged since then. To this day, the drink is produced according to the original family recipe, using the same methods, but with the application of the most modern technology. Its flavor matures to perfection in 500 oak barrels stored in the legendary cellar of the factory on Soroksári Road. Unicum contains more than 40 different herbs and spices, imported from various parts of the world, ranging from neighboring countries to exotic regions. The flavors and aromas of the herbs are extracted in two ways. One method is maceration, where the herbs are mixed with fine alcohol made from corn and left to steep, allowing the valuable substances to be extracted, resulting in the rich taste of Unicum. The other method is distillation, which preserves the aromatic scent of the herbs used in the drink. The various prepared components are then blended in a traditional wooden vat to ensure the consistent quality of Unicum.
