GENTIAN – Gentiana acaulis
Gentianella is a beautiful purpling blue bell flower which grows on the mountains, on the Alps, above 1000 meters.
With these flowers dye, many liquors are produced; in particular, it is the fundamental and characterizing ingredient for the Americano aperitif wine. Also used in herbal medicine, Gentianella has antipyretic, digestive, bitter-tonic and antibacterial properties.
ARTEMISIA – Artemisia absinthium
Basic and characterizing for Vermouth, this silverygreen perennial herb is high by one meter and has large leaves, deeply rooted, of a greenish grey on top and white below. Its little yellow flowers blossom between July and September. Known in the past for its medical properties as tonic, stimulant, vermifuge, anthelmintic, antipyretic, emmenagogue.
QUININE BARK – Cinchona calisaya
Cinchona or quina originates in South America. Its high curative power for the fevers has long been kept secret: it acts thanks to quinine, a febrifuge antimalarial alkaloid.
Quina is the most common drug for the preparation of liquors, bitters and aromatized wines, in particular it is the essence of Barolo Chinato and tonic water.
BITTER ORANGE – Citrus aurantium
Bitter orange is a small citrus tree with perfumed white flowers which are used for the perfumery. The infusion in alcohol of the fruits peels, rich in essential oils, mixed
with rhubarb represents the aromatic base of the aperitifs and of many digestives. Pleasantly bittering, bitter orange has decongestant, antiseptic and dermo-cleansing properties.
RHUBARB – Rheum officinale
Chinese rhubarb is an herbal plant whose rhizomes are used for the liquors production; they’re quite big and they must be dried for being conserved. It is used in many formulas for bearing a bitter, robust but aromatic taste. The infusion into alcohol with the union of citrus, quina, cardamom, vanilla and sometimes mint, produces a bitter and delicious liquor, as well as the rhubarb candies are.
STAR ANISE – Illicium verum
Star anise is the fruit of an Asian tropical tree by the characteristic eight point star-shape. Its seeds have a rather definite taste, similar to that of the licorice and used for its digestive, stomachic, carminative and anti-diarrheal properties. It is also the base of some of the most famous liquors in the world among which Sambuca or Pastis, often mixed with liquorice or orange flowers.
ACHILLEA – Achillea moschata
This is one of the most common and used plants among the herbalist’s liquors. It grows on the Alps, over 1500 meters. We use the leaves and new blossoms, dried in the shadow. It is the aromatic and appreciated component of most of the bitters, the aperitifs and the alpine herbs liquors; it has stomachic, tonic, aromatic and expectorant properties.
ROSE PETALS – Rosa gallica
Rose petals and blossoms are used for extracting essential oils or for producing aromatic waters, tinctures and rosolio liqueur. In liquor production, they are used after having dried in the shadow and they are mostly used mixed with other flowers, citrus and star anise. In certain aromatized wines it is a perfumes corrector and, if combined with spices, it exalts its freshness.
JUNIPER – Juniperus communis
Juniper bushes grow in temperate climates up to 2500 meters. Its fruits similar to berries are used in infusion for preparing drinks and liquors or distilled for producing Gin. It is stomachic and antiseptic with antirheumatic properties. Its branches hanging at the doors keep witches and bad spirits far away.
QUASSIA WOOD – Quassia amara
Quassia wood is considered a “pure bitter” such as Gentian or Centaurea. The bittering level is very high and for this it is used in almost all the Vermouth recipes as well as those of the amari and Fernet. It is considered the best eupeptic: few molecules of Quassina on the tongue are enough for stimulating the gastric juices secretions increase. It was also used for preparing the fly-paper.
MACE – Myristica fragrans
Is the nutmeg aril – the external part of the seed: pulpy and colored, it contains the same terpene substances and an essential oil with analgesic, carminative and anti-inflammatory properties. It is particularly used in the preparation of the aromatized and quinine wines.
CORIANDER – Coriandrum sativum
Coriander is a spice of the same family of the cumin and anethum (dill); its highest balsamic period is in August when it is also harvested. It is a natural preservative for
food, rich in active ingredients such as geraniol, limonene, linalool and others. The finely minced seeds mixed with pure spring water create a love filter to be administered with food and drinks.