Vespetrò Special

Herbal infusion that has its origins in the Vespetrò liqueur, probably imported to Lake Como by the French army during the Napoleonic domination of the early 19th century. Vespetrò Speciale – a secret recipe made with local herbs from Scanagatta – became an iconic drink during the nineteenth century.       As evidence of this diffusion we have references to the Vespetrò Speciale in various European guides of the time. The famous German guide Baedeker, in the editions dedicated to Switzerland and the Northern Italian Lakes, of 1859 in German and of 1863 in English, observed regarding Canzo: “Canzo.Vespetrò heisst ein zu Canzo bereiteter guter leiqueur” and “Canzo. An agreeable liqueur named Vespetrò is manufactured at Canzo”. Even the prestigious Curti guide of 1872 wrote: “After two short miles from Longone, Canzo appears. ANDa fairly large village, which has many holiday homes…The Café is always crowded in the evening, and during the day there are frequent crews coming from the surrounding villages for the purpose of visiting or taking a walk. Also famous is the Vespetrò that is produced there, a liqueur that resembles the Chartreuse of Grenoble, which comes to us from France” (Lake Como and Pian d’Erba: Autumn Excursions in the Guide Pier Ambrogio Curti 1872).       Legend also helped to increase the fame of the Vespetrò Speciale. It is said that Stendhal, passing through Canzo in 1818, tried it and was pleasantly surprised by its captivating taste. Vespetrò production reached levels of excellence during the 19th century, so much so that it was awarded at the international exhibitions in Turin in 1898 and Paris in 1900, and marketed with great success throughout the following century. ALC DEGREE. VOL: 40% CL CAPACITY: 50