The Riga black balsam is an award-winning traditional Latvian herbal liqueur, made with many different natural ingredients (the original recipe had 24!), which may include Valerian, wormwood, black pepper and ginger. It is the drink that Latvia is most famous for, and is often sold as a souvenir. Dating as far back as the 18th century, the black balsam has won over 100 awards at international fairs throughout history.
On my visit to Riga two weeks ago, I met up with an Indian guy who had been living and working in Latvia for some time. Since I only had half a day to spend in Riga, he kindly took me around the old city, showed me the must-see monuments and even helped take my pictures using his phone which he later e-mailed to me.
But our main agenda for the evening was to introduce me to the black balsam. We went to Folklubs ALA, as suggested by my friend. He had tried the drink before but wasn't a big fan of the original flavor because he said it tasted like cough syrup. Therefore, he ordered for himself the one with blackcurrant flavor, so that I could try both.
It was served in shot glasses. I think mine tasted like liquorice--not too bad, just wasn't something I would order again. But then, that's only because I don't really like liqueurs, except the really yummy ones, like Bailey's and Kahlua. I would still recommend it to anyone visiting Latvia. The blackcurrant-infused was slightly better, although lower in alcohol content. Mine was quite potent (45%) and gave a pleasant buzz.
