Riga Black Balsam 1752 Original Recipe

Riga Black Balsam dates to 1752, when the Riga pharmacist Kunze blended it as a cure all; legend has it later revived the ailing Empress Catherine the Great, and it became a Latvian national emblem. Around two dozen botanicals, roots, berries, buds and spices are macerated and oak aged into a thick, almost black liqueur at a firm 45%, the recipe still held close.

Its job behind the bar is backbone. A bar spoon adds bitter herbal depth, a wild berry edge and dark colour, cutting sweetness and lengthening a drink much as a bitter amaro would. Latvians take it neat and well chilled as a digestif, stir it into hot tea or black coffee against the Baltic cold, or lengthen it with cola; it also makes a striking float on sparkling wine or a base for dark, spirit forward sours.