Liqueurs is a growing category, one that can include virtually any ingredient. There are your diverse brands who distinguish themselves away from the norm, but there are also your classics that will be in many a cocktail or drink. One classic flavour to be found is strawberry, and recently I’ve come across a brand that takes it a little differently.
Bepi Tosolini is not just the name of the brand, but also the name of the master distiller and the reason for its existence. But its origins start with an Italian brandy named grappa. Bepi was the first to use ash barrels for the aging of brandy to capture all the aromas of the distillate. The intuition and expertise of Bepi Tosolini lead to innovations in the field of the production of distillates and Bepi specially built his stills manually, which are still used today.
The steam within the still has been devised to gently transport the alcohol vapors upwards, while keeping intact the scents and aromas, to obtain that pure distillate.
The Spezieria range of fruit liqueurs is a branch to the wide portfolio that Bepi Tosolini offers, which below, I offer my tasting notes on one of this range –
Fragola – 24%
4 months infused and distilled wild strawberries. Sweet notes of strawberry on the nose with a ripe, slightly bitter flavour of the wild strawberry on the palate. A sweet, lingering ending.
An intriguing flavour of strawberry, helped with the small strawberries inside the bottle to give that extra boost. With others in the range including coffee, liquorice, bitter lemon and blueberry, they’re onto something rather unique.
Other expressions that branch off the Bepi Tosolini range include –
Mascarada Amaretto – 28%
Light but a heavy almond follows on the nose, with sweet hints. Again light on the palate with spice evident from the beginning. Not as sweet but it lingers for a while and a warmth grows.
I am yet to see these in any bar or restaurant, but if you ever come across the range, give them a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
DRINKS ENTHUSIAST 