Italicus leads the rosolio revival

Salute! A new incarnation of the Italian aperitivo is stirring things up in bars and restaurants across London

ib45_italicusblackcloseupnec-lpr.jpg

With the cocktail industry hungry to rediscover obscure victuals, rosolio – the long-forgotten, original Italian aperitivo that predates Campari and Aperol and was quaffed by kings – is enjoying a revival in some of London's best cocktail bars, from Chiltern Firehouse to Claridge's.

Hugely popular until the beginning of the 1800s, rosolio is a distilled liqueur once prepared in traditional apothecaries with precious herbs, fruits and spices. It fell from favour in court when Vittorio Amedeo III incentivised farmers to make white wine and vermouth instead and cancelled his order of rosolio to the royal household.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More