Wine & Drinks
Rakia with the salad, Mavrud and Melnik reds, boza with your banitsa and a craft beer scene that keeps growing. Start with what's in the glass, then find the bar that pours it.
Bulgarian Drinks: What to Drink in Bulgaria and Where to Try It in Sofia
Rakia, wine, beer, boza and ayran: what Bulgaria drinks, how locals drink it and where I order each one in Sofia.
Read the guideBulgarian Wine: A Visitor's Guide to What to Order and Buy
Mavrud, Melnik and Misket: the Bulgarian wines I order in Sofia, what a bottle costs and how many to carry home.
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Rakia: Bulgaria's Fruit Brandy, and How I Drink It in Sofia
Bulgaria's fruit brandy, from grape to quince: the types, how to sip it, and where I drink and buy it in Sofia.
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The Best Bulgarian Wines to Try: 12 Bottles I Buy in Sofia
Mavrud, Melnik, Rubin and Red Misket: the 12 Bulgarian bottles I buy in Sofia, and where I buy them.
Read the guideThe Best Wine Bars in Sofia: 8 Places I Go for Bulgarian Wine
The 8 Sofia wine bars I go to for Bulgarian wine, plus where to book a tasting and buy bottles to carry home.
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The Best Bars in Sofia: My 12 Favourite Places to Drink
Sofia drinks in old houses, courtyards and park bars. The 12 bars I pick, where they are and what to order.
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The Best Cocktail Bars in Sofia: My 10 Favourites
The best cocktails in Sofia hide in basements and side streets. My 10 favourite bars, two speakeasies and the prices.
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The Best Rooftop Bars in Sofia: 6 Bars With a View
Where I go for a drink with a view in Sofia, plus sunset times, which rooftops open in winter and what to wear.
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Craft Beer in Sofia: My Favourite Bars and a Brewery Taproom
Sofia drinks lager, but two bars, a brewery taproom and a good shop do craft beer. What I order and what it costs.
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Bulgarian Beer: The Brands to Try and How to Order Them in Sofia
Bulgaria drinks pale lager by the half-litre. Here are the brands, what to ask for at the bar and what it costs.
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Bulgarian Wine Regions: All 5, and the Ones I Visit from Sofia
Danube to Struma: what each of Bulgaria's 5 wine regions grows, and which ones I reach from Sofia.
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Bulgarian Grape Varieties: The Local Grapes I Order in Sofia
Mavrud, Melnik, Gamza and Red Misket: the Bulgarian grapes I order, how they taste and where they grow.
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Boza and Ayran: Bulgaria's Breakfast Drinks, and Where I Buy Them
The two drinks Bulgarians have with banitsa: what boza and ayran taste like and where I buy them in Sofia.
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