“TO ROME, FOR EVERYTHING…”

…especially gin

As I mentioned in my column in Issue Five, one of the highlights of the 2018 Bar Convent Berlin was the Italian pavilion, which was chock-full of gin from the “Bel Paese”.

When I think back and consider, I’m slightly surprised that Italian Gin hasn’t made more of a splash until now, given some of the advantages of making spirits in the country.

Firstly, there is a great history of making wines and spirits in Italy, with evidence of distilling going back to the 12th century and fractional distillation being developed by Taddeo Alderotti in

13th century Florence.

Secondly, many of the gin drinks popular today can trace at least part of their heritage back to Italy.

The Negroni originates there, as well as two of the drink’s key ingredients: Campari and red vermouth. Even the Martini owes its name, or at least the popularisation of it, to an Italian brand of vermouth.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the flora of Italy includes many well-known gin botanicals: there are the essential juniper berries, as well as lemons (grown in Amalfi), orris root (Florence) and a number of other herbs and fruits.

I recently spoke to Vanessa Piromallo from the gin website ilgin.it on this very subject, “Italy is such a great place to make gin for many reasons. Let’s start with history – in Italy there is a long tradition of distillers, especially regarding grappa, amaros and the production of liqueurs. But also, people started making juniper berry spirits in Italy long before the invention of gin; an example is the work of the Medical School of Salerno, where juniper distillates were made since the 9th century; these spirits would be called “gin” nowadays.

Moreover, Italy is a great place for gin because there is such a great variety of botanicals. We have mountains, plains, hills and seas where awesome herbs, fruits, flowers and other plants grow. Some of the best juniper berries in the world are from Tuscany. This great variety allows producers to experiment with a lot of different local botanicals and to create unique gins. Many botanicals experts started producing gin because it is the spirit that, most of all, permits them to be creative with ingredients.

And Italian creativity is another reason why it’s such a great place to make gin. Italians love to make high quality food and drinks and they also love to eat and sip them!”

Until recently, Italy was importing a lot of the gin that was being consumed in the country. This is reminiscent of the Scotch whisky that was imported in the 1950s and 1960s; such was the purchasing power of the country that there were a variety of brands and bottlings of whisky that were exclusively produced for export to it. At the same time, Italy’s spirit producers were creating superb vermouths, liqueurs, and amaros, not to mention spirits such as grappa.

Perhaps local producers preferred to focus on the spirits that they specialised in and import the others; not an unreasonable move, but – thankfully – things have changed and now Italian gin is booming.

This concept is nicely illustrated by the gin Seven Hills, which was named with reference to the seven hills of Rome and was originally made by a distiller in the UK. Three years ago, production was moved to Italy. I’ve always thought it odd that a gin brand so heavily influenced by gin culture, history, and flavour would outsource its production to another country. I was impressed with the newer version of Seven Hills and am glad that all of the aspects of the spirit finally work in harmony; it really feels like the gin has come home.

Italians love to make high quality food and drinks and they also love to eat and sip them

With over 200 gin brands now produced in Italy, I can’t cover them all, but here are some highlights that I recommend seeking out:

Moletto Gin, which is made with alpine and Mediterranean juniper berries as well as tomatoes. Fresh and succulent, it really captures the fruit’s flavour.

PhD Gin, is infused with cocoa, resulting in a rich dark, dry and very chocolatey gin.

Acqueverdi Gin, which uses juniper from the Alps and lakeside botanicals from the local Lake Maggiore, including a special type of tea.