Elixir Extra Amaricante Medichina is inspired by the history of cinchona, which is closely linked to that of pharmacopoeia and, subsequently, liqueurs.
Legend has it that in 1638, Ana de Osorio, Countess of Chinchón (hence the scientific name Cinchona Officinalis), wife of the Viceroy of Peru, fell seriously ill with an apparently incurable fever. Peruvian natives cured her with the bark of the cinchona tree, and a few years later, in 1643, Jesuit missionaries brought the precious bark to Europe, where it became known as "Jesuit's powder" and was accepted as a medicine by the scientific community.
The active ingredient is quinine, extracted from the barks of Cinchona Officinalis, Calissaya, and Succirubra, which are the most valuable varieties. The simplest method was alcoholic maceration. In the nineteenth century, it also began to appear as a fundamental ingredient in Italian liqueurs.
Key botanicals: Red Cinchona, Yellow Cinchona, sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, and 22 other secret botanicals.
