Description

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Born and raised in the province of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, Federico Lugaresi has always been enmeshed in the local culture and cuisine. His line of gins was born of the confluence of passion and a local treasure—the Cervia sea salt of the Romagnan coast, where he grew up. A historic source of wealth for the region, Cervia sea salt is known as the salt of the popes and is still presented to the Pope annually in a festive local ceremony. So important is salt to Italian culture, its very name, ‘sal’ is the root word for the Latin ‘salario’, or ‘salary’ in English.

Honoring tradition and terrior, the first salt gin from Italy, rightfully calls for a very delicate and intentional distillation process. In addition to the Sale di Cervia, the only other botanicals included are juniper from Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, and local lavender, lemon balm and santolina (a slightly bitter Mediterranean shrub). All local botanicals are hand harvested and dried and infused separately to ensure the right amount of extraction. The infusions are then distilled separately and gently, using a vacuum still that preserves the delicate aromas and maximum amount of essential oils. The juniper is distilled separately in an alembic and then combined with the others. The salt is first dissolved in water, 4-4.5g salt per liter of water and then added to the distillate to bring down the alcohol to 43%. The result is a perfectly integrated, slightly sweet and salty elixir. Perfect for a dirty martini with blue cheese olives.