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Tuscan Artisan Alkermes - Alchermes liqueur de’ Medici Firenze

Availability:
in stock, ready to be shipped
Original price $38.40 - Original price $38.40
Original price $38.40
$46.08
$46.08 - $46.08
Current price $46.08

Authentic Fine Food imported from Italy

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Liquor & SpiritsAlkermes - Alchermes and Florence

The production of alchermes liqueur in Italy can easily be traced to Florence.

It is credited to the Frati di Santa Maria Novella in the 1400's, although note the spelling on the label of the bottle in our image above.

The liqueur was very popular during the rule of the Medici who enjoyed its flavour in many sweet dishes of the period.

It was known as the 'elisir di lunga vita' and was also introduced in France by Caterina de' Medici. So, alchermes became known as the 'liquore de' Medici' or liqueur of the Medici.

Above all, it is a sweet, highly alcoholic drink made from the infusion of diverse herbs and spices such as garofano, orange, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and coriander.

The final product is made red with cochineal and perfumed with rosewater to make a liqueur of 30% volume.

Cochineal, simply speaking, is powdered insects and today 85% of world production comes from Peru.

The color also gives alchermes its name with 'alquermes' in Spanish meaning scarlet.

Overtime 'Qirmiz' was adulterated to 'Cremisi' in Italian and hence 'Crimson' in English.

Interestingly, the original Arabic root 'Qirmiz' means 'worm'. As 'al' means 'the' in Arabic so 'Al Qirmiz' is literally 'the worm'.

It is best drunk in special cut crystal glasses which refract the red colour of the alchermes to dazzling effect.

Alchermes liqueur is used to prepare cakes such as the classic Zuppa Inglese and, obviously, is a delight in gelato.

We Guarantees:

Origin:
Firenze
Italia 

Authentic 
Italian product

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
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R
Rosanna Yachetti

Great product …it just took longer to receive than we anticipated

M
Monica Schwartz
EXCELLENT ALKERMES

Alkermes is not easy to find in the United States, so I was happy to find it at Stella Italiana for shipping. It came perfectly packaged, quickly and safely, and the product is excellent. Thank you.

W
W. Weber
This was great

I first tried this liqueur in Florence, Italy and fell in love with it. I'm excited to bring it home to California, where I can enjoy it in a variety of ways.

P
Perry H.
Excellent stuff

The sweet Alchermes is a perfect complement to bitter-sweet chocolate.

L
L. Payne
Arrived so quick

The Alchermes is smooth, almost syrupy in texture and mildly sweet. The taste is hard to pin down, but it's somewhere between an aromatic herbal liqueur and a rich sherry.