If you ask an Abruzzese what is the ideal end to a meal, he will undoubtedly answer you a beautiful Genziana: a sip to go through an arch of flavors from earthy to herbaceous, from acid to sweet, and then finish with the bitterness, which fills and cleans the mouth. A natural “medicine”, a liqueur with a “slightly bitter taste of lost things”, to paraphrase Gino Paoli in “Sapore di sale”, typical of the Alpine regions, also present in various areas of Asia, America, north-western Africa and New Zealand.
In Italy it is above all a symbol of Abruzzo and its traditions. In fact, its origins date back to the transhumance of shepherds in the Apennines, who gathered the roots of this bittering plant with digestive properties and macerated them either in white wine or in alcohol with the addition of very little sugar, for better conservation. A plant that grows in the mountains, above 1,500 meters above sea level, and which has been declared a protected species: today it is strictly forbidden to uproot the gentian from the ground, therefore the companies from Abruzzo import the roots, especially from France or, in rare cases, add its own cultivation, which however takes about twelve years to reach industrial production standards.
The Teramo Scuppoz and time.news Tour, historic companies among the excellences of the Abruzzo liquor industry, have rented hectares respectively in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park and in the Majella National Park, marrying a project that also enhances biodiversity and promotes the beauty of these places: “We already have the first cultivation in the world of autochthonous flower gentian. We do everything manually, from cutting to washing with water and wine to drying in the sun. Our cultivation is above all for the benefit of the territory, so much so that we give away the roots through an online contest so that no one will steal them and destroy the soil”, he says Anna Iannettiowner of Scuppoz, while Fabrizio Mascioli, director of Toro, explains how they will start up their first plant “in the autumn, so it will take some time before we have a concrete result. It is a project that starts on an experimental basis but we will certainly make a product that will have our roots”. Even today the craftsmanship of the Abruzzo liqueur factories is marked by the classic homemade recipe of the shepherds, but lately the tradition is becoming more and more dynamic, thanks to some peculiarities in the infusion.
Just think of the Gentian infused with Passerina Campolenzo Campensea primordium of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, or with biodynamic and organic ones with Scuppoz saffron inside, infused in alcohol with a mix of several roots and natural aromas to soften and round off the taste of Toro, or with the variants theatine, where the Le Muse liqueur factory enriches his recipe from L’Aquila with Cerasuolo e LAB Abruzzese liquor store uses licorice, Montepulciano, honey and cooked must. Gentian roots are also used by companies to flavor other liqueurs, from barrel-aged bitters to bitters, from vermouth to botanical gins.
The desire to pass on and innovate the storytelling of this ingredient is finding a response in Mixology, a sector that is always looking for natural and excellent products that form new bases for the creation of more sophisticated cocktails.
In today’s mixing gentian is gaining more and more credibility and is particularly used instead of bitter or angostura as a taste modifier: “On the rocks with a little ice or tied with a citrus nuance, in my drinks gentian always gives that unmistakable bitter, dry and decisive taste, ideal after a meal”, he says Alessio Navaccibar manager del QVINTO restaurant From Rome. Negroni, Black Russian, Americano, Manhattan: its versatility makes it the perfect bitter note for aperitifs and after dinner, “it is easy to mix, for this reason it can be used on any type of drink, from cuts on the Martini Cocktail to the Sour style”, declares Damian DiBenedettobar manager del Wisdomless Club Rome. But for unaccustomed palates, the gentian scent risks being invasive, so you need to know the raw material well so as not to spoil the balance of flavours: “In mixing, you have to learn to enhance it and somehow tame it. It takes knowledge and love to treat this treasure of Abruzzo,” he explains Alexander DiFabriziobarman and trainerEquilibrium Bar Service Academy of time.news.