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A bottle of apricot Hungarian Pálinka.

Pálinka is a traditional type of brandy that is produced in Hungary and Transylvania (region of Romania, where it is spelled Palincă). The origin of the word is Slavic stemming from the word páliť (in Slovak) which means to distill.

It is usually made from plums (traditionally called "szilva"), apples, pears (called "vilmoskörte pálinka"), apricots ("fütyülős" barack) or cherries ("cseresznyepálinka") and is double distilled. The alcohol content is between 60 and 80%^{[citation needed]}. A less strong version (around 40% alcohol) is called ţuică in Romania. The most powerful kinds of pálinka are referred to as "kerítésszaggató" in Hungarian, which literally means "fence-tearer" and refers to a drunkard's loss of balance.

In 2004, Hungary (along with 4 counties of Austria) received the exclusive right to the name "pálinka" as a trademark from the European Union, given to beverages distilled exclusively from fruits. The manufacture of pálinka has always been heavily regulated by the state and only licensed distilleries are allowed to legally brew liquor from fruits. Moonshining is still considered significant, both for illegal palinka trade purposes and home consumption needs. Improperly distilled palinka may contain methyl alcohol, a poison that may cause blindness or death. Very bad (often homemade) palinka is called "guggolós" in Hungarian, meaning you will try to pass cowering under the window of the house where you were given it, so they cannot see you and won't get a chance to help you to it again. Another, much funnier and better known explanation for this term is that this is the body position you will assume when you hastily escape the house to rid your body of the unbearable booze under the bushes.

Traditionally palinka was an important part of village peoples' diet. Their agricultural work in the fields was physically demanding and their meals consisted mainly of bread, lard, fatty bacon and onions. A shot of palinka with its high alcohol content helped digest such an unhealthy diet. However, alcohol abuse was also common, such that a shepherd could boast of his ability to master one liter of palinka and still be able to tend his flock. Palinka is still made in significant quantities, but alcoholics (drunkards) have since switched to the cheapest wines, mostly due to the premium price tag that palinka commands.

There is some confusion in Hungary whether some products could actually be called pálinka according to EU laws. As a consequence, a whole family of extremely popular products by Zwack was rebranded as párlat (generic distillate) for internal markets. Traditional pálinkas mixed with honey were rebranded as párlat as well, even if there was no unorthodox step in the process of distillation. Hungarian people's rule of thumb in this matter is that genuine pálinka's alcohol content should be over 37% and it should be made of fruits or herbs indigenous to the Carpathian Basin.

Pálenka denotes any kind of distillate, but especially fruit distillate, in Slovakia. It is also often used as a generic word for all kinds of liquors, including vodka, gin, borovička, etc. The origin of the word is Slavic and originates from the stem "páliť", to distil.

Most traditional types of pálenka in Slovakia are slivovica (plum spirit), ražná (grain spirit), borovička (a special kind of liquor distilled from the berries of Juniperus communis), hruškovica (pear spirit), jablkovica (apple spirit). Popular are also čerešňovica (cherry spirit) and marhuľovica (apricot spirit). Very expensive is pálenka distilled from fermented forest berries, including raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries. Drienkovica (a spirit distilled from Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas), drienky in Slovak) was popularized by Slovak ex-president R. Schuster.

The word pálenka was borrowed by Hungarians (pálinka) and Romanians (palincă). Its meaning remains very similar.

• Slivovitz
• Rakia, a brandy made throughout the Balkans
• Ţuică, a similar drink in Romania.