Alcademics

I will visit Chicago this September 14, both to see all your cocktail bars and also to give a talk representing the industry group The Spirit of Italy. Read more →

A ton of information about the history of vermouth (both sweet and dry kind of come from the same place) and its legal definitions in the European Union. Read more →

This limoncello is not like the others. A trip to the tiny island distillery where Limoncello Di Capri is made. Read more →

Molinari Sambuca is an anise liqueur originally created in Civitavecchia, a port city north of Rome. Much like Schiedam in the Netherlands where the spices that came on ships ended up in local spirits (juniper for genever and other ingredients for liqueurs in that case), star anise reaching Civitavecchia wound up in in local spirits and gave birth to the category of sambuca. Read more →

This July I visted the town of Saronno, Italy, and the blending and bottling house where they make Disaronno liqueur (formerly known as Disaronno Amaretto). So The Legend Goes Disaronno, as with many brands, is based on a legend involving a beautiful woman and a secret manuscript. We visited the... Read more →

Hello from Italy! Last night I attended the unveiling of Martini vermouth's newly expanded visitors' center in celebration of their 150th anniversary here near Turin. Below is a brief photo tour of the center. The highlight of the renovated center is the museum, which includes a lot of brand history... Read more →

As part of the Sugar Spirit project, I am starting to be more aware of types of sugar in other countries. When traveling to Italy recently, I picked up a couple of packets of sugar. The "classico" sugar, according to my trip host, would be Italian-produced crystallized beet sugar. The... Read more →

Here are some random pictures and notes from my trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast with Pallini Limoncello. Rome is a very, very crowded city, especially around tourist attractions. On our second day there we had a guide who was amazing and knew all the ways around the lines.... Read more →