A Vespetro label illustrated with tropical plants and animal Wellcome V0019304ETL

Vespetrò is a Lombard

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

from

Canzo Canzo (; , ; Canzés, locally: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Italian province of Como. It is the last town north of the historical Brianza region of Lombardy, capital of the Lake Como Triangle community and a regional tourism destinat ...

. Its main ingredients are spices and medicinal plants. It is marketed with the brand ''Vespetrò Scannagatta'' and produced – as a homemade product – also by some families in

, who hand down the recipe from generation to generation.

History

The recipe of Vespetrò, of

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

ard origin, has been present in

at least since 18th century and was appreciated by tourists as a speciality of the town. The ''Raisonné de la distillation'' of 1778 called the Vespetrò a trendy drink also used to release intestinal gas. During the 19th century, a Canzese

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

, Scannagatta, perfected the traditional recipe of the town, patented it and began to market it. The brand ''Vespetrò Scannagatta'' was awarded during the 1900

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

World's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

and was appreciated by the 20th century's tourists, coming in

and surroundings, in its yellow and elongated bottle. After a stop in the years 1992–2007, the selling restarted. Scannagatta exact recipe remains secret, and also every producing family of

treasures its own version, with slight variations in the method of producing and in the proportion of ingredients.

Description

The taste is sweet and

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...

-like. The grade is about 40%

abv Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

. The word "Vespetro" comes from "Vesser, péter, roter" (French for ''swallow, fart, burp'') which are the main digestive effects caused by its consumption. It may also simply derive from "vesper" (Italian for ''evening'') in reference to the beverage drunk at night after diner.

Bibliography

* Karl Baedeker, ''L’Italie: Manuel du voyageur. Première partie: l’Italie septentrionale'', 1865

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vespetro Italian liqueurs Cuisine of Lombardy Italian alcoholic drinks Canzo

History

Description

See also

Bibliography

References

External links