🥃 Rosolio (Italian botanical liqueur)

Rosolio is a general Italian name for mild, sugary liqueurs. According to the Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, it is one of Italy's oldest herbal liqueurs and dates to the 1400s. Its original botanical was the sundew, called ros solis in Latin, which over the centuries was replaced by saffron: it gives the same golden colour and is easier to work with, and the botanical mix shifted toward spices.

History. By the mid-1400s rosolio was made in north-eastern Italy and regularly shipped from Venice, where it was called aqua ruoxa in the local dialect. Buyers included the Duke of Burgundy and the court of Edward IV of England, and it became a standard formula for European distillers.

Flavours. Citrus was the most popular flavouring; strong spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg were minor accents, and fennel and rose petals were common. In 1857 the liquorista Pietro Valsecchi described rosolio as any mild, sugary liqueur, and in Italy the name became generic.

Decline and return. For most of the 20th century rosolio was seen as old-fashioned, but small distillers in Turin, Sicily and southern Italy kept making it. Interest returned in the 21st century; in 2016 the bartender Giuseppe Gallo launched a bergamot-flavoured rosolio.

Law. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 has no separate category for rosolio. A rosolio sold in the EU as a liqueur must have at least 15% ABV and, in general, at least 100 g of sugar per litre.

Why it matters to you. Because the word covers many recipes, composition and strength vary between producers, so read the label. The WHO points out that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.