Drinks in Baltics

Famous drinks of Baltic countries

  Each Baltic country has drink or drinks, which is famous for. It has it owns history and roots. Some of drinks have their roots in the middle ages others are younger but still very good. Lithuania is famous for amber colour mead, Latvia for it's old traditional balsams and Estonia for great liqueurs.




Mead
 The oldest alcoholic beverage in the world, called the North European wine made from honey and water. This is mead. The resulting thousands of years ago, blossomed and vanished from the main space of alcoholic beverages, mead back to day as a unique, special and luxurious drink.Mead was known for humanity before beer and wine. Mead, at the same time was holly and every day drink used by kings and peasants. Mead also has been used for religious rituals, medicines.It was believed that it helps to communicate with Gods. 

 The first historical references to mead consumption in the Baltic States are found in the Greek geographer, historian and philosopher in his work "Geography" (64-24BC), where he describes the tribes of the Baltic Sea and he mentions that they were "having a honey and grain and produce a drink from them ". Royal Castle books provided detailed knowledge about mead using. For example, Congress held in Lutsk castle, in 1429 Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas told daily serving 700 drums of meads and other drinks for guests. Estate of duke Žygimantas Augustas (Sigismund Augustus) was drank 30 drums of mead and beer each week. 

 XV-XVIII century in Lithuania, there was so – called brotherhood of mead. This is a unique phenomenon in Eastern Europe, these fraternities not detected in any other country. Since the end of the14th century Lithuania was launched to establish inns. It had 364 beer taverns, 40 inns of mead, 71 vodka inn. 
Nowadays Stakliškės Company is famous for its meads. It produces different kinds and degrees alcohol by volume. The most famous of them mead “Trakai” ( price/0.5 l – 6 €), mead nectar “Vilnius” ( price/0.5 l – 10 €), mead balsam “ Žalgiris“ ( price/0.5 l – 35 €). Mostly it make from honey, diluted with water, wine fermentation with yeast. Prices from 4 € to 40 €.

Strong drinks
 “Stumbras” is one of the biggest and most popular producers of strong alcoholic drinks in Lithuania. The distillery whose history, culture and traditions started in the end of the 19th century. Any drink starts with crystal clear water. Then the finest grain, natural juice, Lithuanian bee honey, selected berries, spices and fruit tree leaves are added. Another very important thing is the bottle. We seek that the form and colour of every bottle should best reveal peculiarities of a drink. Most used drinks of  “Stumbras”: “ The Green Nines” (price/0.5 l – 9 €), Millers’ Bitter” (price/0.5 l – 7 €), brandy” Gloria” (price/0.5 l – 9 €),  Vodka “ Stumbras” (price/0.5 l – 6 €).

Beer
 Breweries Business in Lithuania has been known since ancient times. In the 11th century beer was started to make in Lithuania, however it became popular just in 16th century. According to Lithuanian Association of Brewers every resident of Lithuania on average drinks about 87 liters per year. Nowadays Lithuania has about 80 different kinds of beer. Alcohol sold between 08:00 and 22:00 hours in shop markets.

Balsam
 Riga Balsam is a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur made with many different natural ingredients mixed in pure vodka. It has been made in Riga since the middle of the 18th century. According to legend, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, became ill during a visit to Latvia, but was cured after drinking Riga Balsam. It can be had as it is, on the rocks or mixed with schnapps, warm tea, coffee or black currant juice, or just mixed with soda water. It is also occasionally enjoyed as a topping on ice-cream. The drink itself is black and very bitter, but with a distinct sweetness. It has a powerful healing quality of aroma. Still is making by an ancient recipe, which was used by pharmacists in Riga. Price/0.5 l -  11 €. Alcoholic beverages are only sold in shops from 08:00 - 22:00 hours. Drinks are sold in each shop center. 

Liqueur
 Vana Tallinn, the liqueur is sweet with a hint of rum, flavoured by various natural spices, including citrus oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Vana Tallinn is widely available in all of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as Russia and Finland. Although it is advertised as an ancient and traditional Estonian drink, the production was actually only started in 1960.The sweetness and flavours disguise the high alcohol content making it potentially dangerous, especially in a cocktail called the "hammer and sickle" where it is mixed with Russian sparkling wine. The drink is so named because according to local legend, it hits the drinker on the head and cuts off his legs. It is mixed with 1 part Vana Tallinn and 4 parts sparkling wine or champagne. Price/0.5  l – 7 €. Important information: A city law of Estonia prohibits all alcohol sales between 22:00 and 10:00 hours, you can buy them in every bigger supermarket.