Trollied Tuesday: Rīgas Melnais balzams

That's Riga Black Balsam to you and me - a distinctive Latvian drink. When you find yourself in the Baltic, when it's always raining in a manner that - for me at least - reminds one the soft and gentle melancholy of the Irish coast, then a glass of the black stuff is your only man.

This is not a gentle, warming drink like stout, however. So far I have had just one glass of it, straight. It has a bitter taste, like that of wormwood (I suspect that consumed in great quantities it would be as lethal as absinth); yet it is a clear, purifying drink - bracing as the Baltic sea air; it is an acerbic drink, with touches of sweetness. It has in it, too that distinctive northern European quality of seeking oblivion by means of drink. (Next time you hear some idiot asking why the Brits – or Irish, indeed – can't drink more like the continentals, ask them if they have the Norwegians or the Finns in mind).

Its blackness mimics that of night and of perpetual winter, yet through it alcoholic qualities it evades these by providing a sort of dream world in which one can escape. If it were a song, it would be – of course – The Man in Black. In short, it is a melancholic drink as befits Latvia's history; yet it commands respect. Drink and your soul shall taste the sadness of her might and be among her cloudy trophies hung. Balsam for the soul indeed.

The balsam's Wikipedia entry (from which I have copied the image) suggests mixing it with a variety of fruit juices or soft drinks to make a cocktail – I'm not sure about this, but I bet it goes well with coffee. It is also possible, I gather, to mix it with schnapps, vodka or some such spirit. Now that's more like it.

UPDATE: In light of the above, it's little surprise that I've just been reminded of the following fact.

Latvia has the dubious honour of holding the record for the world’s drunkest person. A few years ago an unnamed vagrant was found unconscious by police and rushed to hospital where his blood test revealed an astounding 7.22 parts per million of alcohol.

As the BBC reported at the time:

He said he had got drunk because his wife left him - and his wife left him because he drank too much.