Name: Vana Tallinn (Tallinn style)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 720 h
Yield: 750
Cuisine: Estonian
Ingredients: 500ml dark Jamaican rum; 250ml vodka; 200g brown sugar; 2 vanilla pods, split; Zest of 2 oranges; Zest of 1 lemon; 5 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 5 cardamom pods, crushed

Estonian rum-vanilla-citrus liqueur, served neat as a dessert pour or stirred into coffee at the end of dinner. Recipe from 1960, drunk year-round.

Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) was created in 1960 by Estonian distiller Liviko in central Tallinn, with industrial production from 1962, combining Jamaican rum with Estonian vanilla, citrus oils and warm spices. The dark amber liqueur quickly became the country's signature dessert pour and a Soviet-era export across the Eastern Bloc. Today it remains the standard end-of-dinner spirit in Tallinn restaurants and the Christmas Market on Town Hall Square sells gluhwine versions through December.

3 editor picks for Vana Tallinn in Tallinn, ranked by editorial score. All Tallinn signature dishes · Vana Tallinn across every city.

Olde Hansa ★ 4.7

Medieval Hanseatic

vanalinn · Vana turg 1, 10140 Tallinn

Olde Hansa on Vana turg in the Old Town is a long-running Hanseatic-feast restaurant with medieval costumes, live hurdy-gurdy music and a 14th-century menu.

Maiasmokk ★ 4.5

Café

Pikk 16, 10123 Tallinn

Maiasmokk on Pikk has been Tallinn's confectionery cafe since 1864, the oldest continuously operating cafe in Estonia with a marzipan-painting room daily.

Tchaikovsky ★ 4.4

French-russian-estonian

vanalinn · Vene 9, 10123 Tallinn

Tchaikovsky sits inside the five-star Hotel Telegraaf on Vene in the Old Town,a Michelin-listed room run by executive chef Denis Golik with French technique.

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Vana Tallinn makes more sense with someone from Tallinn explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

Book food experiences in Tallinn

Tallinn: Food and History Walking Tour

Guided tour3 hours4.1 from 67 reviewsfrom €119

Discover the vibrant culinary scene of Tallinn on a guided foodie walking tour. Enjoy 6/7 food and drink stops throughout the Old Town and Kalamaja quarter.

Check dates and book

Tallinn Old Town: Estonian Cuisine Cooking Class

3 hours4.9 from 90 reviewsfrom €75

Learn to cook a 3-course meal of traditional Estonian dishes from scratch with a local chef as your guide. Enjoy a lively and interactive experience filled with fun an...

Check dates and book