Black Balsam - Riga, Latvia

The snow was falling heavily as I made my way from the old town in Riga, Latvia to my hotel, the Radisson Blu Ridzene on Reimersa avenue around the corner from the U.S. Embassy. When I reached the lobby I was half frozen. Instead of heading straight to my room I decided to stop at the bar for a drink to warm me up from the inside. I already knew I wanted to try a drink with Black Balsam, the national drink.

Black Basalm is an herb infused liqueur with a 45 percent pure vodka base. The bartender recommended I drink it warmed and mixed with black currant juice. The smell of the herbs and the juice were the perfect combination.

I brought a bottle of Black Basalm back to the United States with me. I discovered that it really does go best warmed with black currant juice to cut the taste of the herbs and the vodka.

Updates Coming Soon

Just returned from five weeks in Europe. Look for posts soon on Black Basalm from Latvia and Calvados from France.

Egg Liquor's for Girls, Palinka for Men

Had quite an evening Tuesday night with a few colleagues. I visited Cafe Déryné (1st district, Krisztina tér 3) on the Buda side of the river. In addition to an excellent meal I had a chance to try some new varieties of Palinka. The restaurant is trendy eatery located near the tunnel and chain bridge below the castle.

I started off the evening with Torkoly Palinka, which is made with grapes as noted in an earlier post, rather than the more traditional plum and pear varieties. I also learned a lesson in Hungarian drinking etiquette when I was advised to ensure good eye contact when toasting someone. Never a good idea to annoy your hosts, especially after a few rounds of high proof fruit brandies.

After the Torkoly, and after a eating a little food, I tried the Szila Palinka, made with plums. An interesting taste, and entirely in a good way. By the end of the evening and the bottles of wine, there was no room left for dessert. Fortunately, that didn't mean I couldn't try the Barack Palinka, made with peaches. Not bad, but I think the palinka made with grapes was still my favorite.

And what about the egg liquor, you ask? Well, the restaurant provided a small glass of Toja's Likor, which is a bit like Bailey's Irish Creme and, I'm told, made with eggs. One of my Hungarian companion's dismissed the drink without even trying it, commenting that it was a drink for girls. Not wanting to offend my hosts, and being several glasses into my experiments at this point, I downed the Likor. It was creamy, and Bailey's like as expected. Not sure I would say it was a drink for girls, but not really a drink for me either.

Palinka-Shmolinka It's Really Fruit Brandy

"Pálinkás jó reggelt!" Which means, "Good morning with palinka!"

I arrived in Hungary on Sunday and have yet to have my first glass of palinka.

On Monday night I was introduced to a liqueur described as the Hungarian version of Jaeggermeister. I'm not a huge fan of black licorice, which is to say I am not a huge fan of Jaegger. The Hungarian version succeeded in setting a new low.

On my last trip to Hungary I tried the apricot and apple versions of palinka. I enjoyed both, though the apple was best. As it turns out, plum, apricot and pear are the most common varieties of palinka, though your can also find grape, apple, cherry, mulberry and quince. (What the heck is quince, you ask? Apparently a fruit from the Caucus region related to apple and pear.)

Palinka is a fruit brandy made in Hungary and parts of Austria. According to wikipedia, there are several types of palinka:

- Kisüsti (literally "Small pot, cauldron") is a double-distilled pálinka made in a copper pot not exceeding a volume of 1000 litres.
- Érlelt (Aged) is a pálinka aged for at least 6 months in a wooden cask smaller than 1000 litres, or for at least 12 months in a wooden cask of 1000 litres or above.
- Ó (Old) is a pálinka aged for at least 12 months in a wooden cask smaller than 1000 litres, or for at least 24 months in a wooden cask of 1000 litres or above.
- Ágyas ("bedside") is a pálinka aged for at least 3 months together with fruits. The fruits can be of the same sort used to obtain the distillate or of another sort. To 100 liters of pálinka at least 10 kgs of ripe fruits have to be added.
- Törköly (Grape pálinka, also Törkölypálinka) is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes. One of the oldest types of pálinka, it helps digestion, and is usually consumed in small quantities after meals. This is similar to Italian grappa for those familiar with that spirit.

Will provide further updates after some tastings.

What's Hungarian for Hangover?

I will arrive in Hungary Sunday, the first leg of a multi-country trip to Budapest, Brussels and London. I figured finding the perfect spirit in Hungary and the UK would be easy since I am already familar with Palinka from Hungary and everybody knows that the UK is associated with gin.

However, I was having a bit of trouble finding the right spirit for Belgium. The spirit that seemed most appropriate to track down in Brussels was a Belgium-style gin called genever. But what I also learned in my research was that the UK was far from having the best claim to gin.

The only thing to do then is to wait until I arrive and ask some local bartenders for their recommendation for the spirit of Belgium and the UK.

(By the way, the answer to the question about Hungarian for hangover is: másnaposságtól.)

Krupnik - Better than Cough Syrup

I was introduced to Krupnik last year at the home of a Polish farmer about an hour outside Warsaw where we sat around his dining room table pouring shots. This is no doubt the best way to be introduced to any drink. I didn't know at the time that Krupnik was a honey-flavored vodka-based liqueur, traditionally made from honey and herbs. The variety we were drinking was cherry flavored with a spicy aroma. I couldn't tell much about the drink we were having though since it was the farmers homemade stash from an unlabeled bottle. What I did know was that it was sweet with a strong taste of cherries and a sour after taste. After finishing our toasts the farmer, a former member of parliament, handed me a full bottle of the unlabeled cherry flavored krupnik. I have the bottle at home and only take it out on special occasions, sharing it sparingly with friends and family. Of course, I did pour a dram to sip as I write this to create the atmosphere and revive the memories.

There are generally two reactions among my guests to their first taste of the cherry krupnik. Either they love it or they cringe at the taste, which is a little too close to cherry flavored cough syrup for some.

According to wikipedia, krupnik is a Lithuanian name which means that it is not the sole possession of Poland, unlike Becherovka in the Czech Republic or Palinka in Hungary. Nevertheless this is a common drink in Poland and presents a more interesting picture of the country than purchasing a common bottle of vodka. Next time I travel to Poland I will definitely be trying the honey variety without the cherry flavor to taste the true spirit of Polish krupnik (unless I break down and buy a bottle in the U.S. first).

You can pick up a wide selection of krupniks at http://www4.dealtime.com/-krupnik+liquor, which range in price from $15-20.

Becherovka - Russian for Belch or Czech Spirit

I was in Prague last year for work. The first time back in the country since 1991. Things a changed a little. Gone were the fabulous meals in French restaurants for budget travelers. At least the old clock tower, or Prague Orloj, was still there and as impressive as ever. The city was cleaner and the buildings brighter as I walked the streets of old town.

When it was time to go I asked a colleague who lived in Warsaw but visited Prague regulalrly what to buy. He didn't hestitate, "Becherovka." Becher-what?

There wasn't time to debate the issue since we were late to catch a train. I stopped by the nearest liquor store and grabbed two pint bottles of the traditional variety and a 0.75 liter bottle of lemon flavored Becherovka, known as Becherovka Lemond. With bottles clanking I raced for the train.

I knew nothing about this Czech treasure when I bought it, but it only took one taste for me to be hooked.

Becherovka is an herbal bitters flavored with 34 herbs (the exact mix is a 200 year-old trade secret). Despite an alcohol content of 38 percent (76 proof) the drink is smooth and goes down well straight, usually chilled. I've also read that the original can be served with tonic water, a drink known as "beton," though I haven't tried it yet. As much as I enjoyed the original, the Lemond version was even better.

Becherovka, like Prague-itself, seems to get better with time. I look forward to returning to the country and, hopefully, visiting the distillery itself to get an even better taste of the spirit of the Czech Republic.

You can purchase Becherovka online at http://www.melandrose.com/ for $29.99 for a 750 ml bottle. This was the best price I could find and seems to be a bargain.

For those who refuse to take their spirits straight, there are a number of cocktails that can be prepared with Becherovka. For a sampling of the possibilities check out the following link.
http://www.ultimate-brands.co.uk/products/becherovka_cocktails.htm