A Guide to Fröccs
October 27th, 2021
Have you heard about Budapest’s favorite summer drink? Hungary is home to some truly delicious wine, and fröccs is just another way to enjoy it!
First things first...What is fröccs? The basics are simple: Take a dry white or rosé, add chilled sparkling water, and drink up! But did you know that the name changes based on the wine/water ratio? And some of the combinations have quite a history behind them.
History of Fröccs
As the story goes, 19th century Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik came across some wine that was too strong for his liking, and added soda water to lighten the taste. The drink spread like wildfire around his friend group (it didn’t hurt that one of his friends was the very famous poet, Mihaly Vörösmarty), and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now, fröccs is a staple of the Hungarian culture, and quite frankly, one of the most delightful things you can drink to beat the heat of summer in Budapest. But which one should you choose? Check out our quick-guide to fröccs below! (To find out more on the go, download the Fröccs app!)
The Basics
3dl
Kisfröccs (small): 1dl wine, 1 dl water
Nagyfröccs (large): 2 dl wine, 1 dl water
Hosszúlépés (long step): 1 dl wine, 2dl water
5 dl
Sportfröccs (sporty): 1dl wine, 4 dl water
Viceházmester(assistant caretaker): 2 dl wine, 3 dl water
Házmester (caretaker): 3 dl wine, 2 dl water
Háziúr (landlord): 4 dl wine, 1 dl water
Now it gets interesting...
1 L
Krúdy-fröccs: 9dl wine, 1 dl water
This fröccs is named after the famed journalist Krúdy Gyula, who was known for loving wine as much as anything. As you can see from the proportions, this fröccs is basically a liter of wine with some water sprinkled in.
Avasi fröccs: 7dl wine, 3 dl water
Polgármester (Mayor)r: 6 dl wine, 4 dl water
Maflás (Slap): 5 dl wine, 5 dl water
Alpolgármester (Vice Mayor): 4 dl wine, 6 dl water
Sóherfröccs: 1 dl wine, 9 dl water
Sóher means “stingy”, which makes sense when you see that this fröccs is mainly a liter of water with just a spritz of wine.
Add something extra…
Macifröccs: 1dl wine, 1dl water, raspberry syrup
Curiously, Macifróccs translates into “Teddy Bear Spritzer”, and has nothing to do with raspberry...but the extra syrup adds a sweet twist to this already refreshing drink.
Almafröccs: Equal parts apple juice and water
The perfect drink if you want something chilled and bubbly but you want to lay off the alcohol! Sip on this sparkling apple juice!
Fröccs is refreshing, bubbly, and a classic Budapest drink. Now that you know all about it, head to one of our favorite Budapest bars to try one for yourself! Try booking an Ultimate Budapest Pub Crawl or a Bingo Bar Crawl!
Related Articles
A Guide to Pálinka in Budapest
Guide to Wine Hotels in Hungary
