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Riga Black Balsam is an interesting liquor I’ve come across abroad but also a few times in Italy. First contact with this strange stuff took place in Riga (Latvia), while touring the Baltic Republics.

As reported by wikipedia, “according to legend, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, became ill during a visit to Latvia, but was cured after drinking Riga Black Balsam”. What wikipedia doesn’t detail is that looks like Catherine left Riga in a hurry, the very same day, probably to avoid being given a second shot of the stuff…

I brought a bottle back from that trip, but it’s long gone. I’ve been lucky enough to find a bottle in a hotel once, and another one at the BeBop in Florence. But no luck in trying to buy a new one here in Italy…

And then a few weeks ago a friend, through some colleague from Lithuania, managed to bring me a bottle! (Thanks again!)

Last night I’ve therefore been able to organize a big surprise for friends that were in Riga with me: a shot of Balsam in the middle of Ferrara…

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This week, as almost every week, I’ve been in Florence, back to the worldwide headquarter of the company I work for. This time, instead of 1 or 2 days, I spent there the best part of 3 days working with a colleague that come from Rio De Janeiro for some training.

He’s a nice guy and on Tuesday night, after dinner, I brought him to a good place with music, beer and lot of (female) tourists… the BeBop Live Music Club.
I’m definitely no expert about pubs and places in Florence, but this one is definitely my favourite, especially on a Tuesday night (Why so? Just keep reading).

The BeBop is right in the city centre, you go down a few steps and find yourself in a place with a band playing live on the stage and many girls dancing and singing at and around tables. What more do you need? Yes, there is a nice selection of beers and further drinking stuff (have I ever told you that I do like whisky and whiskey? ). We even found a bottle of Riga Black Balsam, but that’s another interesting story (maybe more about in the future), and that bottle is over, anyway…

The place hosts several bands, with a calendar available on the web site. Tuesday is usually the best night due to the huge popularity of the Beatles cover band named Vox Power that owns the stage. On a “Beatles night” the place fills with girls, most of them from USA, and I’ve seen a brave friend just dive from the last few steps of the staircase in order to enter the place

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