As many as 55 percent adult Croatians drink spirits, with a third of those consumers taking strong alcoholic drinks several times a month, according to a survey conducted on a representative sample in September by the Hendal market research agency.

The findings of the survey, published by the Ja Trgovac magazine on Friday, show that 3.6 percent of those polled say they drink strong alcoholic beverages every day.

Broken down by the type of spirits, hard liquors are consumed by 53 percent of those polled. Raqi follows, with one fifth of those polled saying they consume this type of brandy. The portion of whiskey in the overall consumption is 10 percent and gin stands at 8.5 percent. Vodka is consumed by 3.7 percent of those polled and tequila and rum is below one percent.

More than two-thirds of the respondents say that they drink only one type of drinks while 31 percent say they prefer mixes of spirits and cocktails.

As many as 48 percent say they drink alcoholic beverages at home most frequently, and 38 percent drink outside their houses, usually in cafes and restaurants.