Riga Black Balsam Gin

Riga Black Balsam is Latvia's national drink, a bitter composed of no fewer than 24 different ingredients, from birch shoots and raspberries to ginger and black peppercorns. The blend rests in large oak casks, where time shapes its characteristic strength and light bitter-sweetness. It's a bottle that literally carries an entire nation's taste memory.

Riga Black Balsam Cross Keys Single Batch Dry Gin 70 cl 41%

Item no.: 22227865479-1106-19727860

Cross Keys Single Batch Dry Gin - try it with lemon peel and fresh rosemary sprig
Try adding a slice of lemon peel and fresh rosemary sprig to this delicious Cross Keys Dry Gin. It looks festive and adds flavor to the drink. Cross Keys Dry Gin has four main ingredients that dominate the gin: Juniper berries, rosemary, chamomile and lime blossom - Distillery: Riga Black Balsam - Name: Cross Keys Gin - Botanicals: Juniper berries, rosemary, chamomile, lime blossom etc. - Country: Riga - Type: Dry Gin - Alc. strength: 41% - 70 cl. - Recommended Tonic Water: Fevertree Mediterranean Tonic - Recommended Garnish: A slice of lemon peel and fresh rosemary sprig
1pcs.
36,00EUR

About Riga Black Balsam Gin

Riga Black Balsam is Latvia's national drink, a bitter composed of no fewer than 24 different ingredients, including birch shoots, raspberries, ginger, black peppercorns, peppermint, lemon leaves and honey. The blend rests in large oak casks, where it is allowed to "settle" for a long time to bring out its characteristic strength and light bitter-sweetness. For newcomers it's an exciting, spiced introduction to the Baltic bitters tradition, while connoisseurs value its versatility, both as a digestif and as a cocktail ingredient.

History & Background

Riga Black Balsam traces its roots back to the 18th century, when the recipe was reportedly developed by a Riga pharmacist as a medicinal elixir for various ailments. During the Soviet era the drink became a fixture of Latvian identity and was exported across the Eastern Bloc, and legend has it that Catherine the Great herself once used it as medicine. Today Riga Black Balsam is still made to the secret original recipe and is regarded as one of Latvia's most recognizable national symbols.

Production & Style

24 ingredients, including birch shoots, raspberry, ginger, black peppercorns, peppermint and lemon leaves, are blended and aged in oak casks, where the characteristic bitter-sweetness develops over time.

Signature Style

Bitter, Herbal, Complex
Dark, herbal bitterness with notes of ginger and peppermint, softened by a light sweetness from honey and cask ageing.

Facts

Producer	Riga Black Balsam
Founded	1752
Pronounced	REE-ga Black Bal-sam
Region	Riga
Country	Latvia
Owner	Amber Beverage Group
Botanicals	Incl. birch buds, raspberries, peppermint, wormwood, ginger, sweet flag, lemon balm, lime blossom, oak bark, St John's wort and bitter orange peel (24 ingredients in total)
Strength	45%
Official website	rigablack.com

Did You Know?

Riga Black Balsam has historically been used as a kind of folk medicine in Latvia, long before it became a fixture of the country's bar and cocktail culture.

Like Riga Black Balsam Gin? You should also try:

Det Norske Brenneri Gin and Four Pillars Gin.