Veneto
Barbarano Vicentino VI
In 1868, in Asiago, an enchanting locality of the Venetian Prealps, a pharmacist, Giovan Battista Rossi, always looking for new alchemies, created elixirs and infusions for the vacationers in his pharmacy. Thus was born the first product that marked the history of the pharmacy, China Rossi. A special elixir with special restorative and digestive properties obtained with the infusion of China Calisaya in alcohol and the addition of royal jelly. An excellent product that gets important awards: 1903 Cross of merit – Rome – 1904 Gold Medal Grand Prix de Paris. The remarkable success of Dr. Giovan Battista Rossi’s elixirs has been so important to convert the small pharmacy into a real distillery, recognized as the highest in Europe. In 1929 the most typical liqueur of the mountain tradition was born: the Kranebet. Kranebet comes from the Cimbrian Kraneveta, a name given to the juniper used since ancient times for its medicinal and therapeutic qualities. A white Amaro obtained from the distillation of juniper berries, gentian and alpine roots, soon became the emblem of the Rossi distillery and a symbol of the Asiago plateau and the mountain resort. During the years the Rossi distillery consolidates its business and passes from father to son. At the beginning of 1990 the Dal Toso family, distillers by tradition, collected the production heritage of Rossi D’Asiago and reinvented it in a modern way. Antiche Distillerie Riunite is born. The challenge is launched. Creating innovation with respect for tradition. Thus began a path of product innovation. The deep knowledge of the territory and its resources, the ancient methods of distilling art, applied to modern technology systems, allow the company to offer distillates of great value and nobility. Typical mountain liqueurs are revised and reproposed with new packaging and new use. The Kranebet that is well suited in the kitchen is proposed for the realization of pleasant recipes. Not only grappa with mountain herbs, but also barricades of excellence such as the Grappa Cult of Amarone aged in Barrique. The fruit liqueurs reproduced with the Volare brand are fundamental for mixed drinking and the Sambuca Alpina becomes Antica and becomes an excellent base for new flavors such as licorice, raspberry, apple etc. Excellent products refined packaging place the products among the premium spirits. In just a few years the company strengthens its sales network and covers the national territory. He later emerged from the Italian borders and conquered foreign markets. Today the company distributes Rossi D’Asiago products in more than 40 countries. From Japan to the United States, from Norway to South Africa it’s possible to rediscover the taste of nature typical of mountains because only with the respect of the traditions you can become protagonists in the future. But back to what we work for every day, the Amaro and digestives world and back to the Kranebet as already mentioned, but in more detail is the name of a juniper distillate that from 1929 is the historical emblem of the liqueurs of Rossi D’asiago, the “highest distillery in Europe”. The name Kranebet derives from the Cimbro Kraneweta, literally ‘bitter grains’, a very old German name for Juniper. The juniper berries take two years to mature, have fleshy consistency, are greenish, big little less than a pea and in the late autumn they become gloomy blue: At this point, they are harvested and dried in the sun. They have a good resinous odor, contain several essential oils, especially Pinene and Ternipolo, sugar, vitamin C and Gallotannini. There are many herbal recipes that use juniper berries given their properties: tonic, astringent, diaphoretic, antiseptic and in particular diuretic. Totally natural, free of dyes and flavourings is consumed as a digestive and can be drunk smooth, with ice or used as a base for cocktails and long drinks. Kranebet is also used in cooking to aromatize stews and roasts of game. Kranebetis an exceptional product, far from the usual Amaro, starting from its completely transparent color, with a good tonic of a medium body, could be the right and different alternative to a Gin and tonic!
Matteo Zed
