A tremendous friend of mine was kind enough to give me a bottle of Black Balsam. For those of you that don’t know, BB is “a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur made with many different natural ingredients mixed in pure vodka, giving a 45% abv (90 proof) drink.” I love the fact that they also refer to it as being used as a traditional medicine…hehe. If you can’t beat a cold, then burn it out of ya!
I’m going to say right off the bat that I don’t drink 🙂 So why would I accept such a gift you ask? If a good friend of yours from halfway across the globe brings you a gift YOU ACCEPT IT! What I did with it was to entertain friends 🙂 Following is a couple pictures of Jimmy’s attempt 😛
The only person here who matters is Daniel. Daniel is the closest thing to a connoisseur I have, and I believe he reviewed it quite well. Here is what he had to say:
Riga Black Balsam
At first whiff of Riga Black Balsam, I detected the high alcohol content but there is a nice syrupy coffee scent that follows. The aroma is quite complex, but it is hard to pinpoint independent ingredients. When I took my first taste, I was surprised at the strong, bitter flavor because I expected it to be sweet from the scent. When I worked my way past the initial shock, the flavor was of a robust, dark coffee with some slight complexity of a flowery nature. I haven’t really experienced anything quite like it. Kahlúa and Jägermeister are the closest things I can compare this drink to, but it isn’t really like them either. If you are looking for a unique liqueur to add to your liquor cabinet, I would recommend it. It’s not something I’ll drink on a regular basis, but I can definitely see myself imbibing with a glass of it during a casual evening with some friends. I can see this being an excellent drink for cold, winter nights. Sitting in front of the fireplace, having a passionate debate over politics, history, or philosophy with some friends, Black Balsam would be a great accompaniment.
I love the bottle too. it is made out of some kind of porcelain…or something. It’s got a stout feel and looks very cool on my shelf of treasures. I’ve got better photos that will follow soon.
I don’t know if the special donor wants to remain anonymous or not…I don’t think he supplied too many people with a bottle, but thank you sir! If you don’t mind me calling you by name, then just let me know 😉
Leave a Reply