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Фото из книги «ПУТЕШЕСТВИЕ В СТРАНУ ЧЕРНОГО БАЛЬЗАМА.». Альбом. © Александр Никишин

ISBN 5-87012-034-9

JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF BLACK BALM

Project authors and publishers: Alexander Nikishin Alexander Shlychkov

Text writers: Andris Rankevitz (lectures on the history of balm) Alexander Nikishin

Design layout, artistic decision of the publication: Sergey Kolishev Design and layout: Roza Kolganova, Anna Yurionas-Yurgans

Scanning illustrations, color correction and retouching: Georgy Ivanov Translation from Latvian: Juris Bekhterev

Proofreading and editing: Sergey Khizhnyakov Olga Monicheva

Staged shooting of antique objects: Gatis Rosenfelds Nikita Rybakov

Photo: Daniil Nikishin Sergey Glyantsev

Consultants: Viktorija Rankevica, Edmunds Demiters, Klavs Radzins, Gunars Rusins, Guntis Aboltins Abolins, Valters Kazhe, Sergey Vyugin, Elena Yazeva, Valdis Mazeika, Dace Karkla, Maria Kaupere, Vladlen Dozortsev, Alexander Gafin, Ilya Deminstein, Edgars and Sandra Skuja. Project coordinator: Olga Nikishina “JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF BLACK BALM” Illustrated album. M .: LLC “National Museum of Russian Vodka”. 2014. – 184 p., illustration: 595. With the participation of the Divo Publishing House and the Baltijas proekts company. The world’s first publication about the history of the Black Balsam of Riga for its 260-year history. The book is based on the historical research of Andris Rankevits (1953–2013), a collector and historian from Riga, who devoted a significant part of his life to this topic. An international team from Russia and Latvia took part in the creation of the book. Exhibits from the museums of Riga, Moscow, Liepaja and Jelgava, as well as from private collections were used. @Andris Rankevitz, text. 2016. @ Alexander Nikishin, text. 2016. @ National Museum of Russian Vodka LLC, edition. 2016.

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

“… The composition of the Black Riga Balsam includes 24 ingredients. A significant part of their vegetable

origin: St. John’s wort, raspberry, lingonberry, lime blossom, ginger, gentian root from alpine meadows.

Most of the ingredients are local, but there are also imported from afar, even from another hemisphere, like Peruvian balsam oil. But birch buds are taken only from Latvian trees, moreover, only from those growing in the protected Kemeri swamps. The infusion is aged in oak barrels for 30 days, after which it is a reddish bitter 45-degree liquid.

In the final product, it is only 4% – so that several 300-liter barrels make it possible to fill 2.7 million bottles annually. The essence is mixed with grain alcohol, brandy, juices, honey and burnt sugar are added, giving the balm its characteristic blackness.

A bottled drink chemically interacts with ceramic containers even before six months. The characteristic opaque bottle, the design of which has remained almost unchanged for more than a century, is not only a tribute to tradition, but also a way to protect the contents from sunlight and temperature.

fluctuations…”

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

The list of Black Riga Balsam ingredients is in the public domain, and their

proportions are a mystery behind seven seals. The legendary drink is produced in the workshops of the Riga plant, which is called “Latvijas Balzams”. The factory began operating in 1900. It was the project of the Prime Minister of Russia S.Yu. Witte for the entire Russian Empire, which included Livonia and Courland, and now Latvia. The government of Nikolai Romanov transferred the private alcohol business into the hands of the state. The main reason was simple – to fill the treasury with tax revenues from the sale of alcoholic beverages. The monopoly also closed private establishments that sold vodka. Trade in taverns, taverns and taverns has long been criticized. Here they drank half to death and even in debt.

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

They gave water on the security of the future harvest, agricultural implements, and even wives and children. “Tavern riots” regularly flared up in the empire. We decided to end this! The taverns were closed on the same day throughout

territories of the Russian Empire, including Latgale and Courland. They came to replace

called “state liquor stores”, state-owned vodka shops, civilized places for the sale of vodka and other takeaway alcohol. The closure of taverns created a problem: more than a hundred

thousands of unemployed Jewish tavern-keepers poured abroad into emigration! Mostly moved to North America. Most of them left the Latvian Libava, in the port of which large ocean-going ships of the Russian-American Line moored, such as, for example, the twin-screw passenger steamer Tsar, not much smaller than the legendary Titanic.

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

Today, the building of the Latvijas Balzams factory is a monument to the history of industrial architecture, tourists admire it, and the owners plan to place the Vodka Museum here and exhibit preserved samples of products from a hundred years ago. Or maybe it will be the Museum of the legendary balm?

How old is the Black Balsam of Riga? 260. A few years ago, a glorious anniversary for the history of world alcohol was celebrated on the Dome Square in Riga, and even an original bottle dedicated to this date was released. True, there were long breaks in the production of the balm.

This happened during the wars. For example, during the war with Napoleon. During the First World

war throughout the Russian Empire was declared “dry law”,

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

On the steamships of the Russian-American Line,

moored in the Latvian city of Libava, in the USA

thousands of families of alcohol dealers left, having lost their

work due to the wine monopoly of Tsar Nicholas II.

and Black Balsam of Riga, apparently, was also not produced.

In addition, equipment from most of the largest factories was removed from Riga in 1914, it is possible that the state wine warehouse. During the Second World War, the balm was also not produced.

Photo from the book “JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF BLACK BALM.” Album. © Alexander Nikishin

Near the famous commandant’s house

of the port of Riga, no less ancient

two-story building in which the Courland

industrialist A. Wolfshmidt posted his

the first factory for the production of balm.

The Germans, having occupied Riga for the second time, took the equipment of the state

balsam factory.

But something remains. During the years of the Nazi occupation, a certain German officer who decided to produce the Black Balsam of Riga for the needs of the Reich brought to Riga several dozen huge high-quality German-made enameled barrels. In them, the balm was supposed to be stored until bottling. The officer, apparently, expected to stay in Riga for a long time, so he did everything slowly. But in 1945 he had to flee from the advancing units

Red Army…

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