Balsam “Bugulma” – the most popular Russian bitter

Balsam “Bugulma” is in first place in sales in its segment in Russia. The fragrant strong drink has been successfully competing with foreign brands for more than twenty years and is one of the most popular gastronomic souvenirs of Tatarstan. A carefully selected composition of medicinal herbs, roots and berries gives the balm a rich aroma and rich taste. Another important advantage of bitter is its medicinal effect.

Historical information

Balsam “Bugulma” began to be developed in 1996, and two years later it first appeared on store shelves. The drink was created by technologists of the Bugulma Distillery in cooperation with the All-Russian Research Institute of the Institute of Food Biotechnology. During this period, a whole line of balms appeared at the enterprise, but the Bugulma recipe turned out to be so successful that the brand quickly ousted its competitors. Bottles decorated in the national style have become a popular souvenir bought by guests of Tatarstan, and the inhabitants of the republic fell in love with the drink for its harmonious taste and healing effect.

Bugulma Distillery was part of the enterprises of one of the largest enterprises in the alcohol industry in Russia – Tatspirtprom JSC. In 2011, the management of the association decided to close the plant in Bugulma due to unprofitability. It turned out to be cheaper to transfer production to a modernized site in Kazan than to reconstruct an old enterprise. The remains of vegetable raw materials were transported to a new production site, and the plant itself was put up for sale.

The move did not affect the quality of the products. The balm has been produced for more than twenty years, and during this time the recipe has never changed. The drink contains 24 plant components, which include berries, medicinal herbs and fragrant spices. Plant raw materials are brought to the enterprise from Bashkiria, where each component is checked for compliance with the standards. Bugulma is based on Lux alcohol, which is produced at the Usadsky and Mamadyshsky factories of Tatspirtprom. The products of enterprises are an order of magnitude higher in quality than it is provided for by GOST.

In 2016, in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the drink, Tatspirtprom rebranded the balm. Instead of a stylized orange inscription, a multi-colored letter “B” appeared on the label, and in general the design began to look more modern. The inhabitants of the republic did not appreciate the innovations and even organized a collection of signatures for the return of the old design. However, the leadership of the association left the initiative unattended, since the changes did not affect sales in any way.

In 2020, the Bugulma balsam took another top award from the Prodexpo exhibition and firmly holds the second place in popularity among the gastronomic souvenirs of Tatarstan. The drink could overtake only the national delicacy chak-chak.

Production technology of balsam “Bugulma”

A well-chosen composition of herbs and berries gives a harmonious taste to the balm. Vegetable raw materials are mixed in certain proportions and two alcohol infusions with different tastes are made on its basis:

• shades of mulled wine give coriander, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, valerian roots, galangal and elecampane;
• Tones of black tea are made by a collection of 14 herbs, including oregano, lemon balm, mint, St. John’s wort and calendula.

Separately, berry fruit drinks are prepared from bird cherry, red and chokeberry. The components insist twice on a water-alcohol mixture, all extracts go into the finished product. The balm is brought to the desired strength with the help of prepared water with the addition of trace elements. In addition, sugar and natural honey are added to the composition of the drink. The filtered blend is checked in the laboratory and sent to the bottling line. “Bugulma” is produced in glass and souvenir ceramic bottles sealed with a wax seal.

How to drink balm “Bugulma”

The balm is distinguished by its dark brown color, rich herbal aroma and rich taste with hints of honey, berries and spices. Despite the strength of 40%, the drink is easy to drink, practically does not burn and leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

Bitter is poured into small glasses of 30 ml and served as a digestif after lunch or dinner. The temperature of the drink should not be lower than 10-12 ° C, as the cold adversely affects the bouquet.

The manufacturer recommends adding the balm to tea or coffee, using it in cocktails, and serving it with ice cream. However, buyers appreciate it also for its therapeutic effect.

Useful Properties

Balm “Bugulma”:

• soothes the nervous system;
• dilates blood vessels;
• strengthens the immune system;
• awakens appetite;
• stimulates digestion;
• helps to recover from colds.

For therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, the balm is taken 2 teaspoons once a day 30 minutes after a meal. In case of insomnia, the use should be postponed to the evening.

Bitter helps with loss of appetite, in which case it is drunk before meals as an aperitif.

It should be remembered that alcohol is contraindicated in pancreatitis, exacerbation of peptic ulcer and gallstone disease. Since the drink contains a lot of herbs, before drinking, you need to make sure that you are not allergic to its components.