I am often asked by visiting friends what would be a good souvenir to take back home from the Serbian capital. For all those that don’t mind a few cups of hard liquor there is no better recommendation than the Rakia Bar gift shop, a genuine gold mine of Serbian national drink, eau-de-vie that fueled a good part of our history and still continues to play a great role in everyday lives – not only when it comes to eating and drinking.

In this tiniest of shops that could easily be overseen from the street you will find an excellent choice of rakijas, from those well known ones to those from small distilleries and from rakijas made out of classic fruits (plums, apples, apricots, quinces…) to some interesting new experiments and blends.

One of my favorite initiatives of the Rakia Bar is their “Selekcija” brand where they bottle rakijas from producers that make less than 5,000 liter of this lip-smacking drink. If, however, strong drinks are not your cup of tea, you will also find a good selection of wines, liqueurs, preserves and cookies here – something for everyone.

There is hardly a time that I manage to get out of here having bought just one thing. So, if you share a passion for great new flavors, don’t miss paying a visit to this gift shop on the last day of your visit to Belgrade.