Italicus Rosolio: The Award-Winning Sip That Epitomizes Italian Renaissance Art

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 11/25/2022

Italicus Rosolio: The Award-Winning Sip That Epitomizes Italian Renaissance Art

Imagine a drink that delicately permeates the nose and palate with pure Italian melange of citrus fruits, fresh flower petals, grass and green herbs. An Italian art epitomized in transparent liquid, smooth and sweet, sipped from glass crystals held by hands from past generations. Rosolio is a liqueur that was particularly widespread in some Italian regions like Piedmont, Sicily, Umbria and Campania in the Renaissance period, which was notably liked by Catherine de Medici in the 16th century. It's a mixture of alcohol, sugar and water in equal proportions then flavored with citrus fruits, flowers or herbs.

Giuseppe Gallo, an internationally renowned Italian bartender, and winner of Martini's 2014 Best International Brand Ambassador, reproduced his own style of the spirit in 2015 based on his family's generations-old recipe of rosolio. His recipe uses all-Italian ingredients coming from various regions: bergamot oranges from Calabria, citrons from Sicily, chamomile from Lazio, lavender, yellow roses, lemon balm and gentian from the northern part of the country with 20% alcohol by volume. "Art encapsulated in liquid form" is the essence of Italicus. Being enriched with 100% Italian ingredients sourced from different parts of the country based on an ancient recipe, it truly recreates a genuine "sip of Italy". After concocting his recipe, Italicus debuted at the at the Savoy Hotel in London in 2016 and was introduced in the US in 2017. On the same year, it won the award of Best New Spirits at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail, a big annual spirits event in New Orleans.

Its aquamarine ribbed glass bottle designed by the British agency Stranger & Stranger represents the waters of the Amalfi Coast and a Roman column, while the stopper features the figure of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine designed as Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.

To celebrate the history and beauty of Italy's artistic heritage, Italicus chooses Milan, Rome and Florence. On 17 November 2022, Italicus arrived in Rome after its first celebration in Milan for its special cocktail experience. It was held at W Rome, a part of the W Hotels, an American luxury lifestyle hotel chain owned by Marriott International. The Art of Italicus is an itinerant event that presents Italicus with cocktail drinks that characterize the aromas of rosolio. It was an important voyage that brings back the almost forgotten rosolio, also known as the court aperitif.

Thanks to the uniqueness of Italicus, it has already been an undisputed protagonist of numerous cocktails: from the creativity and experience of the best bartenders in the world, some characteristic combinations of Italicus have been born. The Italicus Spritz is made with an addition of prosecco, Negroni Bianco where London Dry Gin and dry vermouth blend perfectly with the aromatic notes of bergamot. A very refreshing cocktail is the Italicus Cup mixed with pink grapefruit juice and soda, a quick and easy cocktail to prepare even at home, to serve as an aperitif. When in Rome, blended with cider brut nature and elderflower tonic water gives floral and candy notes to a revitalizing drink. And then there is Italiconi, a creative cocktail mixed with beet juice, egg white, soda and bitter that has a lovely roundness and balance of flavors.

Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto is the most awarded aperitif with over 40 prestigious awards and gold medals. Most recently it received the Best New Product at Tales of the Cocktail USA, the Gold Medal Design Bartenders Brand Awards 2021 and for the third consecutive year the award as Top Trending Brand by Drink International (2021, 2020 and 2019). In 2021 it also received the Golden Ampulla of Autochthonous Spirit. Additional accolades include: Best New Spirit 2017 in Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, Gold Medal in 2018, 2019 - Women's Wine and Spirits Awards; Best New European Spirit - Mixology Awards 2017 in Berlin; Best Product - FIBAR 2017; Gold medal - Packaging awards 2017; Contemporary Awards Trophy - International Wine & Spirits Competition; Packaging Trophy - Harpers Design 2017; Gold Medal - San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017; Platinum Best of Luxury - Pentawards 2017; Gold Medal for Italian Aperitif of the Year - New York International Spirits Competition 2016; Best New Product - Bar Awards 2016; Certificate of Exceptional quality - Difford's Guide 2016.

It is possible to buy Italicus online at tannico.it, spiritacademy.it, drinksco.it, vino.com and callmewine.com. The price per bottle is €39.