Balm "Abu Simbel" (Egypt) is actually a glorious echo of the past, a drink known to many that could surprise the neighbors in the USSR of the 70s. Compared with the options and competitors on which GOST stood out, this alcohol was foreign, terribly fashionable and status, despite the fact that it belonged to the category of balms and wore a pharmaceutical purpose rather than a direct tasting one. Connoisseurs of strong alcoholic beverages claim that Abu Simbel balm had a fragrant aroma and a rich sweet taste. The article will tell you what this legend of the past is.
A few words about the manufacturer
The original dark brown bottle was imprinted by a certain Egyptian Vineyards and Distilleries Company, but such a counterparty does not exist, at least today. There is an opinion that the drink was made directly in the USSR, presenting it as a foreign, and therefore more expensive, luxury alcohol. On the label one could find inscriptions in Hebrew and Russian. It is also easy to read on the yellowed leaf that Abu Simbel balm is made on the basis of natural herbs with a tonic effect. In any case, a foreign manufacturer, if any, supplied the market with products of only this line from the 70s to the 80s. last century. It should be noted that the products were in incredible demand in the conditions of limited choice.
What is balm and what is it for?
First of all, it should be noted that the balm has healing and pharmaceutical properties. Alcohol tinctures based on wormwood, lemon balm, chamomile, and walnut are often used in medicine, since the alcohol base allows you to clean the essential oils or resins and more fully reveal the peculiarity of the plant component. In the case of Abu Simbel balm, there is no exact list of herbs used to make the tincture. There is only one mention of the fact that they are "tonic properties." This may be, for example, an extract of ginseng or hypericum. There are a lot of options.
Taste the tincture "Abu Simbel" should be with tea or coffee. The manufacturer in pure Russian, by the way, also recommends adding the drink to mineral water in order to slightly soften the concentrated taste and rich aftertaste on the tongue. At the same time, the Abu Simbel drink can be called a real symbol of foreign alcohol, since it was they who tasted it "in the quiet", trying to join the foreign culture.
External data bottle and label
A bottle of Abu Simbel balm is darkened. The liquid is dark brown in color with a pungent, intense odor. The label is made in warm colors. In front is a picture of the temple of the same name, one of the main attractions of Egypt, there are inscriptions in Hebrew below, there is a mention of herbs, which were discussed above. There is no sane translation of foreign marks on the bottle; presumably, the drink's features are indicated there.
The back of the label resembles plain paper. It says in Russian what the drink is and how it should be tasted. Next is a mention of the subtleties of taste, that’s all. Indeed, the label does not contain a single mention of the registration number, location or name of the manufacturer, there is no data on the composition or characteristics of the formulation. Today the alcoholic drink "Abu Simbel" would be recognized as a real surrogate and withdrawn from sale.
Fortress and container
The first batches of this alcohol were delivered in containers of 0.83 liters with a strength of 43 degrees. Subsequently, products appeared even in 2-liter glass bottles with the same amount of alcohol. Later, the degree fell to 30. The information was taken from the comments of those commentators who remember both the original form and the key features of the drink.
Taste palette and flavor features
The famous showman and singer Andrei Makarevich put it this way about the aforementioned drink:
The taste of "Abu Simbel" was bitter, fragrant and generally not nasty. I don’t remember how we finished the bottle, but we finished it - otherwise it simply could not have happened in those days.
Then the incredible happened. We sobered up! The head cleared, the port burden was gone, the movements showed completeness, accuracy and grace. And the joy did not go away, on the contrary, it boiled and demanded action.
Therefore, the balm "Abu Simbel" really had some medicinal properties. Tincture of ginseng, along with hawthorn and other encouraging herbs allows you to somewhat discard the effect of intoxication and bring people back to reality. However, it is quite possible that the drink itself was just a distillate, which was added to the ethyl base.
Impressions of knowledgeable people
According to other responses, Abu Simbel balm had a tart, bitter taste with rich fragrant notes. It really could be mistaken for homemade tincture. A relatively small fortress of 30 degrees was compensated by a previously unknown taste and some encouraging effect, which, coupled with the primary stimulus from alcohol, gave the person activity. However, the balm should be taken exclusively for medical purposes.
The aroma of any balm is almost always full-bodied, fragrant. It has no serious emphasis on ethyl alcohol; instead, the taster feels the essential oils of plants. Directly, Makarevich himself also claimed that the aroma of the drink hovered in the room for a long time, which indicates the stability of the components and the correct distillation of the ingredients.
Consequences and the issue of losing orientation
In the responses regarding this balm, commentators often focus on the fact that “Baba Sima”, the so-called drink before, had not only invigorating, but also a stronger effect on the body and human perception. It is not known whether this is actually so, but with a large concentration of the drunk, the taster lost control of his actions and could even “fall out” of real life for a certain time. Presumably, the excessive saturation of the balsam with individual plant components or the peculiarities of the formulation and preparation led to such consequences. In any case, it was not recommended to use balm.
Cost and impression of the drink
In the 70s of the last century, one bottle of Abu Simbel balsam cost from 5 to 8 rubles, depending on the packaging, fortress, and also the year of launch on the market. Today, as part of the auction, you can buy a corked bottle in 1976 for one and a half thousand rubles. The container itself is sold for 300-400 rubles. Of course, unlike expensive and status alcoholic beverages, such a term hardly benefited Babe Sime, so you should still not use balm after such a time period. As for the impressions that the balm leaves behind, there is a classic attempt to reproduce the foreign recipe in its own way. It is possible, in conditions of shortage, as well as limited choice, such a drink created the appearance of an abundance of various alcoholic brands, but could not compete in quality with real counterparts.