Unicum: the bitter story of the Zwack family

About Unicum: the bitter story of the Zwack family

By the ULTIMATE Budapest Editorial Team

Unicum, a dark, bitter herbal liqueur in a round bottle with a red cross, is Hungary’s best-known spirit. Its recipe is said to date back to 1790 and the court of Emperor Joseph II, and it is still made by the Zwack family in Budapest.

A royal remedy

According to the family’s history, Dr József Zwack, a physician at the Habsburg court, created the drink in 1790 as a digestive, and Emperor Joseph II gave it its name. The Zwack company was founded in Pest in 1840.

The recipe

Unicum is made from more than 40 herbs and spices, some distilled and some macerated, and matured in oak casks in the cellars of the Budapest distillery. The recipe is a family secret.

Legend says the emperor tasted it and said: “Das ist ein Unikum!”

The family returns

After the Second World War, the family left Hungary and the company was nationalised. After 1989, the Zwacks returned and rebuilt the business in its historic home in Budapest.

Visiting

The Zwack Unicum Heritage Visitors’ Centre, at the distillery in district IX, tells the story of the family and the drink, with a walk through the cellars and a tasting.

Our advice: taste Unicum after a heavy meal, as Hungarians do, or try the milder Unicum Szilva, aged on dried plums; the visitors’ centre makes a good rainy-day stop near the Great Market Hall.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Unicum: the bitter story of the Zwack family before you go.