When I set out to explore a new city, I tend to look for the odd things that cannot be found back home. So far, Riga has not disappointed me. Apart from delicious Laima chocolate and lots of cobblestones, the capital of Latvia is home to a lethal brew with the somewhat mysterious name Black Balsam (or Melnais Balzams in Latvian).

Riga Riga by night.

It’s a traditional herbal liqueur composed of 24 different ingredients such as flowers, roots, oils, berries and other funny things you may or may not find in a forest. Topping it off is the herb wormwood, which you may recognize from absinthe. The original recipe was created by pharmacist Abraham Kunze in 1752 and supposedly used as medicine.

Unfortunately, it is an acquired taste, to say the least. I was tempted to switch to another item on the menu called “Wrong Island Ice Tea”, but something about that name beckoned for caution as well. Check please?

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Posted in category Travel destinations.

2 comments

  • avatar
    bollman
    27 Aug, 2008
    Well, I'm sitting at a hotel in Bergen, craving for some alcohol, but my wallet says no. 45NOK för a small bottle of boring beer, no thanks. Go out? Uh, no, not really, it's pouring down and the beers are if possible even more expensive. They obioulsy don't want people to use "drugs" in this country, a pack of cigarettes costs 80NOK, about 95SEK I bet you paid somewhat less for that interesting drink ;-) On a side note: absinthe is marvelous!
  • avatar
    Reine
    29 Aug, 2008
    Yeah, it cost 3,50 lat (roughly 50 sek). A beer was about 10-14 sek. :) Absinthe is odd but nice. In Gothenburg we got a club entirely devoted to the brew, aptly named Absynth.

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