Italian Liqueurs

BY LINDA GARSON

The history of distilling goes right back to the first century and is open to some speculation, but we know how and where it started in Italy from the Compendium Salernitanum of the most important medical school in Europe at the time, the Medical School of Salerno, south-east of Naples.

The modern process of distilling wine and infusing it with herbs was practised for medicinal purposes at the school in the 1100s. Known as aqua vitae (the water of life), it was used to sterilize and anaesthetize until after the end of the bubonic plague in the mid-1300s, and documents show that Italian distillers were selling these infused distillations directly to the public to drink as tonics as early as 1378.

Over the next four-to-five hundred years, distillers experimented first using local botanicals and later exotic imported spices, producing alcoholic infusions enjoyed by the nobility in the 1800s, and extending to use in cocktails over the following century.

Here are some Italian liqueurs available in Alberta, along with some suggestions from Graham Teare, mixologist and manager at Calgary’s Cardinale Restaurant, for how to get the most out of them:

Luxardo Maraschino

The original, created by Girolamo Luxardo in 1821, and still with the bottles hand-plaited in straw as the early days, to protect them from damage in transportation. Each summer, Luxardo harvest their marasca cherries and infuse them in alcohol, along with their leaves and branches, for up to three years before being distilled to produce a clear cherry liqueur. It’s strong at 32 percent ABV, with a lovely hint of dark chocolate on the palate. CSPC +63974 500 mL $23-26 Maraschino is regularly used in an Aviation cocktail, and Teare suggests a simple cocktail for us to make at home – the ‘Last Word’, with equal parts (¾ oz) gin, green chartreuse, and maraschino, and ½ oz lime juice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Galliano Vanilla

Easily spotted on the top shelf of any bar, Galliano’s tall bottles with tapered sides were inspired by the temples of ancient Rome. While created in Tuscany in 1896, the sweet, yellow, anise flavoured liqueur really shot to fame in the 1970s with the popularity of Harvey Wallbanger cocktails. Galliano Vanilla was created in 1990s as a new vanilla-influenced form of Galliano, and while quite different to the original, it may be the version many of you will associate with the brand. CSPC +741498 375 mL $17-20 Cardinale make a decadent and delightful dessert cocktail with 1/3 oz XO rum, ¾ oz Galliano Vanilla, ½ oz banana liqueur, 1½ oz cream, 8 dashes of chocolate bitters.

Cynar

Moving into the 20th century, the fave of so many bartenders for its versatility and bittersweet flavour, is Cynar, created in 1952 by Angelo Dalle Molle, a Venetian entrepreneur and philanthropist. There are thirteen herbs and plants in this industry standard, with the most distinctive being artichoke leaves, which is where the name comes from, after the botanical name for artichoke ‘Cynar scolymus’. You’ll get citrus aromas on the nose, but the palate is sweeter than you’ll expect, and almost like a Vermouth di Torino. CSPC +766191 1L around $28-30 As a wine-based infusion, Cynar is 16.5 percent ABV, so Teare suggests subbing it out in a Manhattan instead of the whisky, or even for the sweet vermouth. Do try it in a martini too. He makes a cocktail called ‘Beetle Juice’, with Cynar, anejo rum, amaro, beet juice (you can find it now in good supermarkets), lime juice, and mint – and we can vouch for this, it’s really good!

Liquore Strega

An Italian classic, Strega was developed in 1860 by the father and son team, Carmine and Giuseppe Alberti. Italian for ‘witch’, Strega is made in Benevento, 50 K northeast of Naples, where stories of witchcraft date back to the Lombard invasion of 568 AD. Around 70 aromatic herbs are distilled to produce the liqueur including mint, cinnamon, fennel, and juniper, with saffron providing the distinct yellow colour. It’s herbaceous and reminiscent of yellow Chartreuse, but lighter in flavour and body, with a viscous mouthfeel and notes of licorice, mint, basil, and thyme. CSPC +400002 $45-50 At Cardinale, Teare suggests using Strega in your Vesper cocktails instead of Lillet Blanc: Shake or stir together three parts gin with one part vodka and half a measure of Strega.

Nastro d'Oro Finocchietto

Fennel grows wild in southern Italy and Sicily, and appears on many Italian menus, so it would be natural for distillers to experiment with infusing the fronds to create an anise-flavoured liqueur. On the Campania coast, in sight of the Isle of Capri, Nastro D'Oro have been creating artisan, authentic liqueurs typical of the region, since 1996. Their Finocchietto has a lovely, slightly oily mouthfeel, and over ice opens up to be bright with light licorice and notes of celery. Sip it neat, use in cocktails, or try cooking your prawns or scallops in it! CSPC +782168 $37-40 At Cardinale, Teare created a fresh and delicious Finocchietto Jalapeno Margarita for us: add 1½ oz tequila, ¾ oz finocchietto, 1 oz of lime juice, ¼ oz simple syrup, and some chopped jalapeno to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and pour over ice in a glass rimmed with salt. Garnish with jalapeno and fennel fronds.

Cadello

The newest kid on the block – with Alberta chosen for its recent Canadian launch - is Cadello. But this is no kid, it’s a sophisticated liqueur that was three years in development to achieve the master distiller’s ideal blend of botanicals: eight from Italy and more from locations along the Old Silk Route that ran from Asia to the Mediterranean. Each ingredient is infused separately and then individually distilled, before being blended and aged in French oak barrels. CSPC +857060 500 mL $48-55 Cadello is anise-forward, followed by coffee and dark chocolate with a touch of vanilla and hazelnut, and a creamy mouthfeel. It’s a lovely drink to sip on its own, but for a cocktail Teare suggests trying a Cadello Espresso Martini. Stir together ½ oz Cadello, 1½ oz coffee liqueur, 1½ oz chilled espresso, and 6 dashes (1 bar spoon) coffee bitters.