Gemišt - Traditional Thirst Quencher

As the name suggests, gemišt (German for “mixed”) has roots in our Austrian-Hungarian heritage. You may know it as wine spritzer. It's not a Croatian invention, this mixture is present in many other countries, in different versions, under different names. Wine snobs scorn it, young generations may find it old-fashioned and boring, but it's everywhere, and it’s here to stay. In summer its popularity is definitely on the rise, because it's lighter than wine and it's a great thirst quencher. And if you have the right ingredients, give it some of your creativity and love, gemišt can actually be a very classy drink. We have recently seen that on the first ever Gemišt Festival, organized in Zagreb by Vinoljupci.

“Folks having a good time at Gemišt Festival.” Image credit: Julio Frangen

Some might say that gemišt was invented simply because white wines from the surroundings were so bad and had unpleasantly high acidity that the only way to drink them was to mix them with water. Well, maybe there’s a tiny little bit of truth in this generalization, but it does no good to gemišt as we know it today. For starters, bad wine gives bad gemišt, and that's just it. As simple as it sounds - just water and wine - making a good gemišt is no piece of cake, there's a whole science behind it. It actually matter a great deal which wine you use. It needs to be a dry, crispy, young white, with low alcohols, high acidity and not too strong aromas. For example, a Traminer or Sauvignon would be a bad choice. Best candidates are local varieties from continental Croatia, like Graševina (the king of gemišt), Kraljevina, Škrlet, Pušipel... Choosing the water can also be tricky. They might look the same, but recent tests among wine enthusiasts showed that some waters are better than others. And the most important rule: first you pour chilled wine, than you add water. Ice is really unnecessary.  The ratio is crucial. It depends on your taste and the occasion. It’s not the same whether you’re drinking your gemišt during the lunch break at work, at a lazy Sunday garden party, or at concert in a club. The classic, and what most drinkers choose, is half wine, half water. Though in the old days the regular ratio was 8:2, eight parts of wine, two parts of water.

“A classic old-school gemišt.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

In many minds gemišt is still closely associated with lower classes, men, traditional bars and checkered table cloths, barbecues. How wrong! Gemišt is actually making a come back and breaking barriers. Nowadays it’s not even so strange to mix light and high-acid rosé wine with mineral water. Although this doesn’t have a name yet (pink gemišt?), and macho drinkers would ridicule it. But at least now we have a really broad selection of rosés to choose from. Don’t be so narrow-minded. After all, the purpose of all gemišt drinks is the same: adding some refreshing bubbles to a light and cold drink which will not make your head spin in this heat.

“Gemišt for modern times: made with rosé wine.” Image credit: Julio Frangen

Gemišt is also a part of Zagreb’s culture and tradition. It plays an important part in Tko pjeva zlo ne misli, a Yugoslav comedy from 1970, voted as the best Croatian film ever and set in 1930s Zagreb. One of the main characters often goes to a bar for a gemišt to escape from his wife. This was filmed in today’s Pod starim krovovima pub in the Old Town, one of the oldest in Zagreb, opened in 1830. And what a great setting for a gemišt it is! When you get it nicely chilled, served properly in a 200ml glass without a stem called bačvica (little barrel), you’ll be swept over by a wave of nostalgia and - most importantly - properly refreshed.

“Traditional old Zagreb pub is the best place for enjoying a gemišt.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Header image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia