Italian Gin

Historical courses and recourses. It was the 18th century when England was talking about Gin Craze, the artisanal (and even underground) gin craze that came to be a social scourge. The juniper-flavored spirit is back among the preferred spirits, so much so that 2017 was once again the year of gin, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), the association that monitors wine and spirits market trends in the UK. Their report states, "the news is not that gin is growing in double digits, but how much it has grown." That is, by 23% in 2017, after +12% in 2016.

And it's back to being one of the spirits on which we try our hand even at the artisanal level, fortunately no longer clandestine, given the strict regulations on the distillation of spirits, especially in Italy. Here consumption is growing, also thanks to the growing fashion of cocktails, even homemade. And there is no simpler and more thirst-quenching drink than a fabulous gin & tonic.

Our biodiversity makes good gin
Thus, we are witnessing the rediscovery of ancient abbey recipes, as well as the involvement of mixologists and famous chefs, who invent original mixes of botanicals. What makes Italian gins special is in fact the enormous availability and variety of botanicals that our climate guarantees, starting with juniper, with its different aromas depending on where it grows (Tuscan juniper is historically considered one of the most valid), which characterizes this distillate and which must be absolutely present in order to respect its name. Each gin differs from the others for many aspects: the botanicals used (spices, herbs, fruits) and the quantities decided by the "master distiller", as well as the infusion method and other possible procedures such as smoking or aging in casks.

From Carlo Cracco to Benedictine monks
The combinations are endless and can go from the essentiality of Solo gin, which has as its only botanical the berries of Sardinian wild juniper, to the baroque exaggeration of Fred Jerbis, with its 43 spices; from the northern mountain sensations of Dol Gin, made with herbs from the Dolomites, to the citrus notes of Monticelli, gin produced on the Amalfi Coast with its ever-present lemons; from the ancient abbey recipes of Benedictine monks, such as the Tuscan Vallombrosa, to the starred recipes of Carlo Cracco with his Portobello Road and of the Gilmozzi-Bachmann duo of the El Molin restaurant in Cavalese, who created the Gilbach gin.

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