Latvia's national drink was first mixed in 1752 by a Riga apothecary as a medicine, and Latvians have never entirely stopped treating it as one. The black balsam is a dark, thick, bittersweet herbal liqueur made from more than a dozen botanicals with honey and burnt sugar, sold in a stoneware bottle and usually around 45 percent alcohol. On its own it is an acquired taste. Poured into a mug of hot blackcurrant juice, it becomes the drink that Riga reaches for on a winter evening, with the fruit softening the bitterness and the herbs giving the juice a warm, spiced depth.

At the first sign of a sore throat, plenty of Latvians will tell you it works wonders, and while we make no medical claims, it certainly makes a cold grandstand feel warmer. The zero proof version keeps the hot blackcurrant and builds the herbal notes from tea and spices.

The hot blackcurrant

Ingredients

• 3 cups (720 ml) blackcurrant juice
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 thin slices fresh ginger
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
• 4 strips orange peel
• 4 oz (120 ml) Latvian black herbal balsam

Method

1. Put the blackcurrant juice, water, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in the saucepan over medium heat. Heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until steaming, but do not let it boil.
2. Stir in honey to taste. Blackcurrant juice varies a great deal in sweetness, so taste before adding it all.
3. Strain the hot juice into the warmed mugs, leaving room at the top. Add 1 oz (30 ml) of balsam to each mug, stir once and drop in a strip of orange peel.

More from Latvia