Rakija Is Coming. Is Your Bar Ready?

There’s a drink that has been distilled in the Balkans for centuries, poured at births and funerals alike, offered to every guest who walks through a Serbian door, and still, somehow, barely registers on the American radar outside of cities with large Serbian populations like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.

That drink is rakija. And that’s about to change. For American restaurant and bar owners looking for the next category that combines genuine heritage, cocktail versatility, and a great story to tell, rakija deserves your attention.

A Spirit Rooted in Centuries of History

Rakija is a fruit brandy native to the Balkans, where it has been produced since at least the 14th century. In Serbia, it became the national spirit in every meaningful sense, not just commercially, but culturally. The most celebrated variety is šljivovica, made from plums, though it is made with the same technology from apricots, pears, quinces, and grapes. Roots of rakija as we know it now are formed in more than 300 thousand households, mostly in Serbia, through the double distillation of the best ripe fruits, but nowadays more than 1,100 registered distilleries are refining the process, bringing new technology and knowledge to it.

What sets rakija apart from its cousins in the brandy and eau-de-vie world is the intimacy of its production. Generations of Serbian families have maintained their own copper pot stills, passing down recipes that are treated with the seriousness Americans reserve for grandmother’s cookbook. It’s a double-distilled spirit, typically bottled between 40 and 50 percent ABV, and the best aged expressions develop layers of complexity that hold their own against any premium category spirit.

How Serbians Drink It

Understanding consumption is key to understanding how to sell it. Rakija is served neat, at room temperature, in small cognac- or grappa-style glasses, often as an aperitif, but alongside food as well. Traditionally, it arrives at the table with a bite: a slice of cured meat like pršuta (prosciutto), a wedge of sir (white cheese), or a piece of bread. In summer, a colder rakija pairs well with grilled meats and seasonal salads. At its core, rakija is not a shot culture drink, it’s a sipping culture, and that’s an important distinction for how it’s positioned at bars and restaurants.

That said, a new generation of Serbian bartenders in the capital, Belgrade, and beyond has begun using rakija as a cocktail base, demonstrating a versatility that makes it genuinely exciting for mixologists. Its fruit-forward profile plays well with sour and herbal elements, and the category rewards experimentation.

Brands to Know

For American buyers, a few names are already crossing the Atlantic. Yebiga has established a considerable foothold in the U.S. market, its PRVA šljivovica, aged in Serbian oak for a minimum of 18 months and made from single-variety plums, won Brandy of the Year at the 2024 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans. That kind of recognition matters. Stara Sokolova, a family-heritage plum brandy from the foothills of western Serbia, exports to more than 30 countries and has earned medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. On the premium artisanal end, brands like Gorda, Zlatna Dolina, and Hubert represent a newer generation of distillers combining traditional copper pot methods with modern quality standards. There is also the monastery angle: Kovilje Monastery produces a rakija made following centuries-old Orthodox recipes that carries an authentically different story for the right menu.

What Belgrade Just Told the Industry

Last weekend, Belgrade hosted the annual Beogradski Rakija Fest, now in its second decade, and the largest regional rakija festival in the Balkans. Held at the Belgrade fairgrounds under the banner “Show Me Your Spirit,” the 2026 edition brought together more than 60 distilleries from Serbia and the surrounding region. Two signals from the festival are worth noting for anyone paying attention to the industry.

First, “Rakija Mixology” debuted as a formal programming track, with leading Serbian bartenders demonstrating rakija-based cocktails to a public audience, a clear sign the category is consciously moving toward international bar culture. Second, the festival’s “Rakija Experience” sensory education course, covering quality markers, food pairing, and style differentiation, sold out premium tickets, suggesting that consumer appetite for knowledge, not just consumption, is growing. This is a category in motion.

Belgrade Itself Is the Story

Here’s what surprises most Americans who travel to Serbia today: Belgrade is a genuinely cool and buzzy city. The city that spent much of the 1990s in international isolation has reinvented itself into one of Europe’s most vibrant urban destinations, a place with a world-class food scene, a legendary nightlife culture, and a growing reputation as a design and creative hub. The cocktail bar scene, in particular, has quietly become sophisticated. Places like Rakia Bar or Barrel House have built entire concepts around elevated rakija service, attracting a younger, international clientele. With Expo 2027 coming to Belgrade, a world’s fair expected to draw tens of millions of visitors, the city’s profile is rising fast. American interest in Serbia is growing, and with it, American curiosity about Serbian culture. Rakija is part of that culture’s soul.

The Opportunity

Mezcal had its moment. Fernet became the bartender’s handshake. Shochu is building a foothold. Each of these was, at one point, a spirit that required a story before the pour. Rakija is at that inflection point now. It’s approachable enough to pair with food, complex enough to satisfy connoisseurs, and differentiated enough to give your menu a genuine edge. The brands exist. The import infrastructure is developing. The consumer curiosity is there.

The question is, who pours it first?

Veljko Jovanovic is the Executive Director of the Belgrade Rakija Fest.