Riga balsams: a bottle of health in your collection

A popular alcoholic drink was known back in the XVII century, although it was originally conceived as a medicine. It was under the guise of a curative drink that balsam was offered to Empress Catherine II. Russian merchant Lelyukhin, who also managed to taste a drink, bought a recipe from his German creator and started mass production.

And already from the end of the XVIII century in Russia began to sell annually about 300 thousand ceramic bottles filled with a fragrant drink. Riga black balsam is produced in the factory, which was built in 1900. During the Second World War, the recipe was almost lost, but in the 1950s. Through the efforts of the company's technologists, the staff was still able to revive.

Production technology

Riga balsams have a special recipe: they contain as many as 24 ingredients, and most of them are herbs. The list of constituent plant components has long been known, but the proportions are still kept secret. Most of the components are local, but there are also imported from afar, for example, balsamic oil. The drink is infused in birch barrels for as long as 30 days. After that the Riga balms become a reddish liquid with a high alcohol content. Bottles get a concentrated drink, several huge 300-liter drums are able to fill almost 3 million bottles annually.

Half finished beverage is supplemented with alcohol, burnt with sugar, juices, brandy, after which its characteristic color appears. After bottling, the drink is still insisted for half a year in ceramic ware, which protects the contents from sunlight and sudden temperature changes.

Subtlety of use

Riga balsams are appropriate to add to coffee or just drink with it. If a small amount of alcoholic beverage is added to the tea, you will get a kind of grog. Best balm is "disclosed" in hot drinks, because its formulation was invented in the cold country. But also in hot weather a pile of Riga balsam with blackcurrant juice and ice with a mouthful of appetizing ice cream ball will be a real discovery for gourmets.

Beverage Properties

A large number of components - a special feature of the drink: Riga balsams are saturated with mineral substances, organic acids, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, glucosides, etc. Balsam helps to cope with overwork, fatigue after stress. As a means to stimulate appetite, balm is consumed before meals.

It is also recommended for calming the body during nervous excitability and in case of sleep disorders. But a rich composition can be dangerous for people prone to allergies - before using, you need to make sure that the human body does not react to any of the components.

Cost

You should not even think about the question of whether it is worth replenishing your collection of alcohol with such a worthy specimen as Riga balsam: the price will pleasantly surprise you. This amazing drink is presented in stores at an affordable price - a half-liter bottle costs only about 700 rubles.