Horilka (Ukrainian: горілка [ɦoˈr⁽ʲ⁾ilkɐ] ^ⓘ; Belarusian: гарэлка [ɣaˈrɛlka] ^ⓘ) is a Ukrainian alcoholic beverage.

The word horilka may also be used in a generic sense in the Ukrainian language to mean vodka or other strong spirits and etymologically is similar to the Ukrainian word for 'to burn' - hority. Home-distilled horilka, moonshine, is called samohon (Ukrainian: самогон, lit. 'self-distilled' or 'self-run' - almost identical to the Russian and Polish samogon). Horilka is usually distilled from grain (usually wheat or rye), though it can, less commonly, also be distilled from potatoes, honey, sugar beets etc. One type of horilka, called pertsivka (Ukrainian: перцівка), is horilka with chili peppers. Historically, outside Ukraine, pertsivka is generally referred to when people speak of horilka, although pertsivka itself is just one type of horilka.

It is believed that horilka was not as strong as today with about 20 percent alcohol by volume (40 proof). However, today nearly all industrially produced horilka is 40 percent (80 proof).

Ukrainian tradition has also produced various derivatives of horilka. Some of these are available as commercial products, but most are typically home-made. This includes various kinds of fruit infusion, nalyvka and spiced spotykach: agrusivka made with gooseberries, anisivka (anise seeds), aivivka (quince), berezivka (birch leaves or buds), buriakivka (sugar beets), chasnykivka (garlic), derenivka (Cornelian cherries), dulivka (oleaster-leafed pears), horikhivka (nuts), horobynivka (ashberries), hrushivka (pears), kalhanivka (tormentil roots), kalynivka (guelder-rose berries), khrinovukha or khrinivka (horseradish), kmynivka (caraway seeds), kontabas (blackcurrant buds), malynivka (raspberries), mochena (citrus rind), mokrukha (oranges and cloves), morelivka or zherdelivka or abrykosivka (apricots), ozhynivka (blackberries), polunychnyk (strawberries), polynivka (wormwood), porichkivka (redcurrants or white currants), pyriivka (couch grass rhizomes), shapranivka (saffron), shypshynnyk (rose hips), slyvianka or slyvovukha (plums), smorodynivka (blackcurrants), ternivka (blackthorn berries), tertukha (crushed woodland strawberries), tsytrynivka (lemons), vyshniak or vyshnivka (sour cherries), yalivtsivka (juniper berries), zviroboivka (St. John's wort), zubrivka (bison grass). Horilka is also made with honey (called medova), mint, or even milk. In some cases whole fruits of red peppers (capsicum) are put into the bottle, turning horilka into a sort of bitters; it is then named horilka z pertsem, or pertsivka (one should be mindful of the usage: horilka z pertsem refers to horilka bottled with hot chilli peppers, whereas pertsivka typically refers to horilka spiced with the essence of pepper). Medova z pertsem is the combination of horilka with chili peppers and honey.

Most of these preparations are aged with fruit for several weeks or months, then strained or decanted. Some recipes call for the jars to be placed on the rooftop, for maximum bleaching by the sun. Many include the addition of home-made syrup for a strong liqueur, others yield very dry, clear spirit. Some involve the fermentation of fruit as well as addition of horilka. Preparations which are baked in an oven, in a pot sealed with bread dough, are called zapikanka, varenukha or palynka.

Horilka plays a role in traditional weddings in Ukraine.

And bring us a lot of horilka, but not of that fancy kind with raisins, or with any other such things — bring us horilka of the purest kind, give us that demon drink that makes us merry, playful and wild!

—Taras Bulba, by Nikolai Gogol