Riga Black Balsam Original - Herbal Bitter / Herbal Liqueur - 45% Vol. 70cl (700ml/0.7 Litre)

Product Information

Riga Black Balsam is had on its own or added to coffee, hot chocolate, desserts, syrups, chocolate ganache or traditionally over ice cream. In 1770 and 1774, Eva Kunze complained to the Governor-General of Riga about the counterfeit production of Kunze's balsam and requested that others are prohibited from producing it, but her request was denied. In the 19th century, Riga Black Balsam had become a national drink and by the mid-19th century was already produced by factories in Riga, Liepāja, Bauska, Talsi and Ventspils. Riga Black Balsam ( Latvian: Rīgas Melnais balzams) is a traditional Latvian balsam often considered to be the national drink of Latvia. A traditional Latvian balsam (Riga is the capital) from what could well be the oldest bitter brand in the world, considering it dates back to 1752.

Riga Black Balsam | LiveRiga Riga Black Balsam | LiveRiga

It continued the production of Riga Black Balsam even after Latvia declared its independence in 1918. According to a legend, Empress Catherine the Great was heading back to Russia and stopped in Riga for a few day respite. After the death of Abraham Kunze, his widowed wife Eva Sofia Kunze continued to produce and sell the balsam as Kunzensky balsam ( Russian: Кунценский бальзам, German: Kunzer Balsam, Latvian: Kuncena balzams), while the ownership and inheritance of rights to the balsam came under an increasing dispute. There’s even a legend that it saved an ailing Catherine the Great when she encountered stomach troubles during a visit to Riga.Once the 'Riga Black Balsam essence' has been attained the liquid is blended with the rest of the ingredients such as honey and caramel. The original recipe was lost in 1939 after its last keepers, the Schrader brothers, repatriated to Germany. On Friday night I felt like death and went to bed, the next day I sipped it all day and kept warm in bed. In 1766, a glazier from Riga, Peteris Adams, claimed to be the actual inventor of the balsam, having supposedly invented it ten years before Kunze, who was accused of taking his formula, however Riga City Council rejected Adams' application, arguing that he had come forth with the allegations only after Abraham Kunze's death. The modern Riga Black Balsam consists of 24 natural ingredients, including 17 botanicals – bilberries/ blueberries, raspberries, birch buds, bitterwort root, peppermint leaves, Artemisia absinthium stalks and leaves, ginger root, Valerian root, sweet flag root, Melissa officinalis leaves and stems, Tilia cordata blossom, oak bark, St John's wort, buckbean leaves, black pepper, Citrus aurantium skins and nutmeg.

Riga Black Balsam - Gastro Obscura Riga Black Balsam - Gastro Obscura

This worked out fine until 1939, when the bulk of Latvia’s 62,000 Baltic Germans—the balsam masters apparently among them—left the country ahead of the Soviet occupation. In 1789, Semyon Leluchin, a merchant from Vyazma, obtained a patent for the balsam's production and sales.During the Latvian SSR there was a deficit of Riga Black Balsam, which became a valuable souvenir and gift that was sometimes even regifted. All we know about it is that the herbs are mixed with vodka and water, and this mixture is kept in oak barrels for more than a month, which gives inimitable taste and scent. Nowadays, the Riga Black Balsam is also used in traditional medicine as a cold remedy and to treat digestive problems. Originally, Kunze's balsam consisted of a mixture of aromatic water (75%) and a tincture of sage, dill seeds, peppermint leaves, lavender flowers, rosemary and cinnamon. More than 2 million bottles of Riga Black Balsam are produced each year and exported to 30 countries.