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CONTRABBANDO
The bandit gin

LIVIGNO GIN

Contrabbando is Livigno's Gin which encloses the real essence of the territory, locally produced starting from the harvesting of juniper berries. Low and thorny, this tenacious plant is extremely adaptable in the high mountains, resisting winds and the weight of snow.

Once ripe, the seeds of its berries release an essential oil with an intense and pungent aroma, used to make gin: the result is a wild aroma, which is perfectly balanced with alcohol, without using additional botanical elements.

The first two hundred bottles of "Contrabbando, il gin bandito"will be numbered, for the joy of passionate collectors. Clear reference to the most ancient Livigno, a glass of this gin tells the story of the incredible stories of the mountain smugglers, men who faced a treacherous journey to transport sugar, coffee and bottles of alcohol in large sacks of rough canvas, crossing the wilderness of the steepest ridges in the night, with tenacity, cunning and spirit of adaptation.

CONTRABAND

The memory of this harsh and wild territory tells the legendary stories of smuggling: stories and adventures of tough men who, with their backs bent under the weight of their sacks, challenged the law and hostile nature. Risk was their most faithful companion.

They stuffed the goods into rough canvas sacks, put on their heavy boots and set off. In order not to be discovered by the guards, they walked silently on moonless nights, along secret paths, hidden among the needles of the mountain pines and the juniper bushes that stain the pastures.

For some it was a real job, for others a sporadic activity and, for all, it was a dangerous and tiring job, made of risks, cunning and heavy loads on the back. Imagine a group of men who lived a long time ago, walking silently, careful not to be seen, with the bricolla (a special backpack made of juta) on their shoulders and heavy boots on their feet.

It was very difficult to see them, as they crossed the valleys and climbed the mountains wrapped in darkness, carrying a load of coffee, sugar, cigarettes and bottles of alcohol. They knew every corner, every stone, every bush.

Who knows how many juniper bushes they must have encountered on their way. In the silence of the valleys, they crossed the invisible borders drawn by man, deposited the load and then returned home, with light shoulders and a rough smile drawn on their mouths

LIVIGNO’S JUNIPER

The juniper (Juniperus L.), just like the contraband, does not immediately jump to the eye: it almost seems to hide. Its low thorny bushes are completely covered by snow, which suffocates them for long months. It is a tenacious plant, with few demands and extremely adaptable: in the high mountains it assumes a creeping posture, to fight the winds that blow impetuously and to bear the weight of the snow cover.

Juniper is special. Its thick needles sting the hands of those who try to touch it, as if they had to defend themselves. The wood is strong and resistant, and has been used since ancient times: the twigs were burnt and waved in the air, because it was believed that their dense aromatic smoke had purifying properties.

But it is its fruits which make it famous: commonly called berries, they actually have an almost funny name, cuddles or gàlbuli. These ripen within two years, when they assume a bluish color. Inside them are the seeds, rich in an incredibly aromatic essential oil, used for thousands of years in herbal medicine and in cooking, to flavor meats and other foods. And to produce gin.