Riga black balsam bitters
Except for those of Latvian descent, few Americans have tasted Riga black balsam bitters, one of several herbal drinks produced in the Baltic country. For more, see here.
Posted by David Fahey on November 18, 2007 at 01:37 PM in Alcohol (general), Latvia | Permalink
Baltic and ex-USSR attitudes toward alcohol (article)
Therese C. Reitan, "Democracy in a Battle: Attitudes toward Alcohol Regulation in the Post-Communist Baltic Sea Region," Journal of Baltic Studies 34/2 (Summer 2003): 131-158.
Posted by David Fahey on June 24, 2006 at 10:01 PM in Alcohol (general), Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine | Permalink
Dangerous drinking habits taking heavy health toll in Baltics
Lithuanian Augustinas Grevys' glory was short-lived when he bested three friends by being the last to pass out after each had downed nearly a liter of moonshine.
Grevys, who was 34, didn't get the chance to spend his 20 litas (US$7) winnings -- enough to buy two more bottles of moonshine -- because he died within hours. Each of his three friends were comatose but eventually recovered.
The 2001 incident briefly drew nationwide attention to the problem of binge drinking in Lithuania and sparked calls for something to be done.
Mainichi Daily News reports.
Posted by Cynthia on April 15, 2006 at 12:32 PM in Alcohol (general), Alcoholism, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania | Permalink
Latvian pedestrian with twice lethal alcohol level killed by car
A Latvian pedestrian with twice what is regarded as a lethal alcohol level was killed by an automobile while he lay in a drunken stupor on the roadside. His 0.9 alcohol level makes it unlikely that he had done all his drinking in a single day. Probably he had consumed home-made alcohol for several days before his fatal accident. For details, see the Reuters story here.
Posted by David Fahey on December 21, 2005 at 08:51 AM in Alcohol (miscellaneous), Latvia | Permalink
Scottish and Newcastle defending its Russian beer market
The Scotsman reports (26 April 2005) that S&N shareholders will cheer once again on news that, where growth in beer sales is sluggish throughout Western Europe, in Russia, the Ukraine, the Baltic states and Kazakhstan the trend remains sharply upward. Leading the charge is BBH, the S&N joint venture with Carlsberg, described by one City analyst as "the only sexy part of their beer business." Baltic Beverages Holdings holds three of the top six brands in Russia, amounting to 34 per cent of total market share. Since its foundation in 1991, the Baltika brand has intertwined itself with Russia’s newly prosperous lifestyle. Find the full story here.
Posted by Cynthia on April 28, 2005 at 04:56 PM in Beer, Brewing , Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine | Permalink