Politics, Technology and Customs of Risorgimento Europe
Thursday 25 July, 5pm – National Museum of the Risorgimento
Through the dates and places of birth of the main Vermouth-based cocktails, Federico Silvio Bellanca – among the major national experts in the field of spirits and liqueurs – will tell the story of the relationships between Turin and the Savoy Kingdom and the other major cities of the time.
A journey shared with the Turin Vermouth Show, which will take us to the shadow of the Eiffel Tower still under construction and to Florence, the capital of Italy, discovering how the world was already globalized in its uses and consumption at the time, and how cultural exchanges and eating habits have always proceeded hand in hand.
He will introduce the meeting Luisa Papotti, President of the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento.
The historical part will also be accompanied by a “vertical” of cocktails, to discover how Vermouth was drunk in 1786, the year in which the aromatized wine was born, in 1889, the date in which the Parisian monument was inaugurated, in 1919, the year in which the end of the First World War was celebrated, arriving at the present day.
Among the cocktails to be tasted, there will be three recipes that have made the history of mixing. The first is the Milan-Turin, which takes its name from the two ingredients present in the recipe, respectively symbols of the cities of origin: the bitter of Milan and the vermouth of Turin. Although less considered than other international classics, this drink is also the father of two other icons of historical and contemporary mixology: the Americano and the Negroni.
THE'American, which is the natural evolution of the Milan-Turin, arrives instead at the beginning of the 20th century when carbonated drinks finally become easy to find on the European market, after having been born in America and presented at the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris.
The Negroni It was born instead as a variation of the Americano, made at the request of Count Camillo Negroni, at the Caffè Casoni in Florence in 1919. This new version of the cocktail, initially called “The Americano in the style of Count Negroni”, became increasingly popular, until it was abbreviated to Negroni. The recipe calls for the replacement of soda with gin, present in equal parts together with the other two ingredients of the recipe: bitter and vermouth.
Protagonists in this vermouth-themed journey are four brands as historic as they are contemporary: Carpano, Antica Formula, Punt e Mes and Martini & Rossi.
Carpano It is the brand that takes its name from the man who invented vermouth in Turin.
Appreciated by celebrities of the time such as Cavour, Verdi and D'Azeglio, in the post-war period it was the subject of posters that elevated it to an international level and is still today a traditional point of reference in the vast panorama of vermouth.
Ancient Formula It is the vermouth par excellence, created by Antonio Benedetto Carpano from Biella in 1786 in Turin. It stands out for its unmistakable notes of vanilla and for the use of fine saffron from Iran.
Punt and Mes is the literal translation of a point of sweet and a half of bitter, since this vermouth was born from a correction with a half dose of cinchona, requested in 1870 by a stockbroker in the Carpano shop in Turin. In a short time, Punt e Mes became one of the flagship products of the Carpano portfolio, still remembered today for the iconic advertising campaign by Armando Testa.
Martini & Rossi is a historic company in the world of mixology, now in its eighth generation of Master Blenders. Since the first recipe, the MARTINI® Rosso of 1863, nothing has changed. Behind each vermouth there is extreme research, both in terms of wine, the Moscato Bianco from over 300 winemakers from Asti, and in terms of aromatic herbs, selected from over 500 samples per year.
Entrance to the meeting and tasting, subject to availability, is included in the Museum ticket (free for Museum Pass and Torino+Piemonte Card holders).
Reservation recommended
by calling 011 5621147.
Tasting will be permitted to adults only.
