Description Alkermes – Alchermes and Firenze The crafting of alchermes liqueur in Italy has its origins in Firenze. It is attributed to the Brothers of Santa Maria Novella in the 1400s, albeit notice the spelling on the tag of the vessel in our illustration. The liqueur was immensely favored during the reign of the Medici who relished its taste in numerous confections of the era. Dubbed the ‘elisir di lunga vita’, it was also brought to France by Caterina de’ Medici. Consequently, alchermes became synonymous with the ‘liquore de’ Medici’ or liqueur of the Medici. Primarily, it’s a sugary, highly potent concoction brewed from a blend of assorted herbs and spices like cloves, oranges, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and coriander. The end product is tinged crimson with cochineal and scented with rosewater, yielding a liquor with 20% alcohol content. Cochineal, in simple terms, is crushed insects, and presently, 85% of global production hails from Peru. The hue also lends alchermes its moniker with ‘alquermes’ in Spanish translating to scarlet. Over time, ‘Qirmiz’ morphed into ‘Cremisi’ in Italian and subsequently ‘Crimson’ in English. Curiously, the original Arabic origin ‘Qirmiz’ denotes ‘worm’. Since ‘al’ denotes ‘the’ in Arabic, ‘Al Qirmiz’ literally translates to ‘the worm’. It’s best savored in exquisite cut crystal goblets that refract the crimson hue of the alchermes to mesmerizing effect. Alchermes liqueur is employed in the concoction of desserts such as the timeless Zuppa Inglese and, naturally, elevates gelato to a delectable delight.