With this article we take you inside our laboratory where our liqueurs, bitters and vermouths are created, combining the ancient method of infusion and maceration at room temperature, handed down for many generations, with an innovative system based on an ingenious physical principle, the Naviglio principle, which uses pressure variations to effectively extract the desired compounds from plants and fruit.
Imagine that your officinal plants, spices or citrus fruits are like small sponges full of aromas and flavors. The Naviglio Extractor, through a system of compression and decompression of the solvent, gently "squeezes" these sponges, releasing all their precious contents.
In more technical terms, the Naviglio principle is based on the creation of a negative pressure gradient between the outside and inside of the plant matrix. This gradient, followed by a sudden restoration of the initial equilibrium conditions, induces a forced extraction of the compounds not chemically bound to the main structure of the matrix.
In practice...
The plant matrix is inserted into the Naviglio Extractor and covered with a solvent (in our case we use grappa, a hydroalcoholic solution of water and ethyl alcohol, wine or water)
The system applies a high pressure (about 6-8 bar) for a certain period of time.
The pressure is suddenly lowered (about 0-1 bar).
This pressure surge causes the release of the active ingredients from the plant matrix.
The static phase and the dynamic phase alternate for a few hours or a few days and finally we recover an extract in which the solvent is enriched with the aromas of the ingredient used and the relative active ingredients.
This method has brought us some advantages:
Efficiency: Extracts a greater quantity of active ingredients compared to traditional methods, reducing waste and maximizing yield.
Speed: The extraction process is faster, allowing you to obtain the desired results in less time.
Quality: Preserves the integrity of the active ingredients, ensuring that our liqueurs maintain their organoleptic properties intact.
Versatility: It adapts to different types of plants, offering a wide range of creative possibilities.
Without abandoning the ancient methods, which in some cases are irreplaceable in our opinion, the Naviglio extractor has allowed us to implement our range of products, refine some of them and combine this system with the more traditional systems that we continue to use.
The combination of tradition and innovation is expressed in four categories of products:
Grappa-based liqueurs: The tradition handed down by Susanna, in which our grappa distilled with a bain-marie still in the Piedmontese style is combined with infusions of herbs and fruits.
Liqueurs of Italian tradition: from Sardinian myrtle berries, to citrus fruits from our coasts, up to the roses of our garden.
Bitters: A journey into the world of aromatic herbs and digestive roots with a focus on the ingredients of nearby Liguria.
Vermouth and aromatized wines: timeless classics, reinterpreted by Giorgio with an original touch, using local wines and a skilful blend of herbs and spice
