Thursday, 18 May 2006
Reported by Dawn Harvie

This tasting was rather different than most as Pierre Fournier introduced us to many different spirits from Italy. We started off on a bit of a rocky foot—the aperitivi brought a considerable number of grimaces (although there were several fans of both as well)—they were both very bitter! Aperitifs were originally made as medicinal drinks with herbs, spices, roots, barks, peels, and fruit to settle the digestive system. Wine was added to mellow the flavour, and soon aperitifs, especially bitters, were taken as a pre-dinner drink. The Campari was a brilliant red colour with aromas and flavours of pine and sage. We tried it with a little orange juice which made it more palatable for those that found it too bitter. Someone suggested trying it with pink grapefruit juice—prompting another to add that you could take it to a “martini level”! The Cynar was quite herbaceous again, not surprising given that of the 13 herbs and plants used in its production, the most predominant is the artichoke (from which Cynar gets its name). It had flavours of herbs, caramel, and “cola”, and was quite bitter again. It can be served as an aperitif over ice, or as a cocktail mixed with soda water and lemon or orange, or with cola, tonic water, or bitter lemon soda. We had some wonderful foccacia from Luciano’s (Preston @ Gladstone). It certainly helped to tame some of the bitterness of the aperitifs as well.

The afternoon refreshments started off with the Ratafià, a sweet wine-based (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) alcohol infused with bitter cherries. It had a lovely nose of cherry, almond, and vanilla which all came through on the palate. It was really quite pleasant and the favourite of the flight. The Fragolì, an International Wine & Spirit Competition medal winner in 2003- 2005, contains 50 grams of real wild forest strawberries in every bottle. The aroma is all strawberry, as is the palate. It is supposed to be excellent for mixed drinks—with sparkling wine, vodka, and dry vermouth, or as a base for a strawberry daiquiri. It can also be used in fruit salads or as topping for ice-cream. We tried ours with milk and someone noted that it was “better than Nestle Quick”! The grappa, a blueberry grappa, had some herbaceous and rancio notes as well as leather (horse leather or old shoe letter, hard to tell exactly). We had absolutely delicious Cannoli from Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana (Preston) that went very well with the next flight too.

Flight three was an interesting flight. The Bergamotto was full of aromas and flavours—lemon peel, orange, pine, and herbs. If you like Earl Grey Tea, this is something you should try. It contains bergamot, grown on the Calabrian coast in the province of Reggio Calabria. In fact, the area has been recognized by both the Italian State and by the E.U. with the designation D.O.C. and D.O.P. The Prugna Mandorlata, made with plums, was like Christmas cake with aromas and flavours of dried fruit and marzipan.

The Caffè flight was a favourite with many. These are called “coffee killers” because they overpower the coffee. The Fior di Nocino was like PX (grape used in Sherry). It is a walnut-based spirit and seemed to have some coffee and chocolate aromas. The Punch Abruzzo was the close second favourite of the flight. It had notes of orange, chocolate, coffee, prosciutto/smoked meat, and Bazooka bubblegum. It is a herb-based spirit. It was traditionally drunk hot, but now is enjoyed with ice and in cocktails, ice cream, cakes, and tarts. The Illy, a coffee-based spirit, was like a wonderful dark roast coffee with a touch of chocolate. It was the favourite of the flight. The Vecchia Romagna, a brandy, was very grapey with lots of alcohol. We added it to espresso, Lavazza espresso from Luciano’s, to create coffee correcto (the combination of espresso and brandy), and got a bit of a buzz! Nice way to drink espresso!

Pierre attempted to get a consensus on which of the spirits we would recommend to others or purchase ourselves. It was hard to narrow it down. Everybody went away with something new to buy and try. It was a fun, fun tasting!

Flight 1: Aperitivi
Campari, Campari International, 24.7% alc., 750 ml $24.60
Cynar, Campari International, 16.5% alc. 750 ml $17.45

Flight 2: Afternoon Refreshments
Ratafià Liquore d’Abruzzo, Evangelista Liquori, 20% alc., 700 ml $14.80
Fragolì, Toschi Vignola, 25% alc. 700 ml $28.45
Mirtillo, Poli – Museo della Grappa, 28% alc., 500 ml $34.95

Flight 3: I Digestivi
Bergamotto, Bergamottoriginale, 28% alc., 500 ml $40.00
Prugna Mandorlata, Distillerie Buiese, 35% alc., 700 ml $23.95

Flight 4: Caffè at the Bar
Fior di Nocino, Di Castello, 30% alc., 500 ml $14.95
Punch Abruzzo, Evangelista Liquori, 35% alc., 700 ml $27.25
Illy, Distillerie Camel, 28% alc., 750 ml $34.95
Vecchia Romagna, Giovanni Buton, 40% alc., 750 ml $24.85