Europe is know for its many speciality foods, but you might not realise that the various European countries have several popular liquors (or liqueurs, I never know for sure). Of course, souvenir shops in the various tourist hotspots, as well as the airports, carry plenty of the stock, but I thought I’d point out my three favourites, as a Europe travel tip, for you to try when you’re in any of these three countries.

Scottish Whisky – Scotland

Right – it’s “whisky”, with no e, here in Scotland (as well as Japan, New Zealand, and Canada). Irish and American whiskey has an e. Most of the whisky produced here is exported to England or America – although I have my own suspicions that much of it goes to stock the duty free counters in airports across the world. Anyhow, whisky has many distinct tastes and flavours which can range from petrol-like intensity to sweet/salty combinations. One of my favourites is a very small distillery, Knockandoo, up in the beautiful Highland town of the same name.

Slivovich – Czech Republic (and other neighbouring countries)

Now if you’re looking for the truly hard stuff, Slivovich is it. Affectionately called ‘plum brandy’ as well, this stuff is rather hardcore and hits you straightaway. However, I find it one of the best digestive drinks you can get – if you’ve got a very full stomach, a shot of this will help everything settle quite nicely. You can find it in many shops and it makes a great gift; if you’re looking for something really special for yourself, pop into one of the bottle shops in the larger cities like Prague or Brno; the staff can help you choose a particular brand.

Grappa – Italy

As if Italy’s amazing wines weren’t enough good usage of all those grapes, the Italians have figured out yet another way to squeeze out some goodness from those wines. It’s actually made from the seeds and skins, using the waste products from wine production, so the end result is a win-win. Grappa is again another great digestive, perfect after a several course meal to cleanse the palette and settle the stomach. Italians also like to put it in coffee, creating what they call a caffee corretto (corrected coffee).

Do you like having a digestive after your meal? What’s your preference?
Image Credit Paul Watson