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Real Men Drink Spritzers: the fabulous Hungarian Fröccs

photo by: Asok5 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/szalkai/36388620314, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73489602

Finally, terraces in beer gardens have opened, and people can enjoy society again. In Budapest, this is huge, as we are known for out out-door, warm-weather bars.

One of the touching things about warm weather in Budapest is the sight of grown men drinking white or rosé wine spritzers outdoors. The drink (known as fröccs in Hungarian) has a decidedly feminine connotation in countries farther west, but here men of all size and persuasion enjoy fröccs in full view of their peers. Though recipes vary, below is a general, but by no means comprehensive, list of fröccs, showing the rations of wine to soda water (in decilitres) used when making the much-loved refresher.

Kisfröccs (small spritzer)       1:1

Nagyfröccs (large spritzer)     2:1

Hosszúlépés (the long step) 1:2

Krúdy fröccs (inspired by wine-loving writer Gyula Krúdy)  9:1

Háziúr  (landlord’s spritzer) 4:1

Házmester (superintendent’s spritzer) 3:2

Puskás fröccs (named for the legendary football player Ferenc Puskás) 6:3

Maflás (knucklehead’s spritzer) 5:5

Viceházmester (assistant superintendent’s spritzer) 2:3

Alpolgármester (vice mayor’s spritzer) 4:6

Lakófröccs (tenant’s spritzer) 1:4

Távolugrás (the longjump) 1:9

Hats off to Gyula Krúdy, known as Hungary’s Proust, for innovating a drink that is practically a full bottle of wine. We will lift a Házmester to you, or if we are feeling daring, a Puskás.

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