The document summarizes the history of Ferro China Amaro, a bitter herbal spirit drink containing cinchona bark and iron citrate. It traces the drink's origins to 19th century Italy, when it was created by Dr. Ernesto Baliva in 1894 and became popular for its purported health benefits. Production expanded internationally but declined in the 20th century as tastes changed. Today only one brand, Ferro China Baliva, remains in production in Italy.

1. with
Philip Duff
powered by
The Cinchona Chronicles
@philipduff @fcbaliva
@philipsduff @ferrochinabaliva

2. 2

3. CINCHONA
TREE
3

4. 4

5. • China / China bark
• Quina-quina
• Jesuit's bark / Jesuit's
powder
• Fever tree
• Calisaya

6. 6

7. Quinine benefits
TREATS MALARIA
KILLS PARASITES
REDUCES FEVER
REGULATES HEARTBEAT
CALMS NERVES
STIMULATES DIGESTION
KILLS GERMS
REDUCES SPASMS
KILLS INSECTS
RELIEVES PAIN
KILLS BACTERIA AND FUNGI
7

8. PHOSPHORESCENT
8

9. 9

10. Countess of
Chinchón
DOÑA
FRANCISCA
ENRIQUEZ
DE RIVERA
VIRREYNA
DEL PERU
1
0

11. 11

12. Cinchona - “china”
 C. Ledgeriana or c. succirubra
 1630s: First used as anti-malarial in it's native Peru
 1640: First used in Europe; Jesuits, popes, royals
 1820: Antimalarial quinine isolated
 Mid-1800s: Dutch & UK smuggle seeds to Java & Ceylon
 1918: Dutch near-monopoly, but then WWI & WWII
 1944: Quinine synthesized
 2016: - Africa now world's largest producer

13. Amaro: EU 110 / 2008
“Bitter-tasting spirit drinks or bitter
(a) Bitter-tasting spirit drinks or bitter are spirit drinks with a
predominantly bitter taste.”
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of bitter-tasting
spirit drinks or bitter shall be 15 %.
(c) Bitter tasting spirit drinks or bitter may also be sold under the
names ‘amer’ or ‘bitter’ with or without another term.”

14. Amaro: EU 110 / 2008

15. Amaro: EU 110 / 2008
Geographical protections for bitter-tasting
spirit drinks
 Demänovka bylinná horká, Slovakia
Rheinberger Kräuter, Germany
 Trejos devynerios, Lithuania
Slovenska travarica, Slovenia

16.  Amari, esp. china
elixirs
Cinchona - “china”

17.  Amari, esp. china
elixirs
 Vermouth (1786)
Cinchona - “china”

18. Cinchona - “china”
 Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina

19.  Amari, esp. china
elixirs
 Vermouth,
quinquina
Cinchona - “china”

20.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina
Quinquina: EU 1601/91
“Bitter aromatized wine with
quinine”
Cinchona - “china”

21.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina
 Hercules
Cinchona - “china”

22.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina
 Hercules
 Caperitif (but its vermouth!)
Cinchona - “china”

23.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina
 Tonic water 1825 on – English in India

24.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina
 Tonic water 1825 on – English in India
1858 – Erasmus Bond, London

25. Spain GINTONIC
25

26.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina, americano
 Tonic water
 Bitter lemon

27.  Amari, esp. china elixirs
 Vermouth, quinquina, americano
 Tonic water
 Bitter lemon
 Irn Bru

28.  Amaro (a bitter spirit drink, so not a quinquina),
containing cinchona (“china”)
and
iron citrate (“ferro”),
min. 15% ABV (30 proof).
Ferro China Amaro

29. Just to get things straight...
Non-alcoholic Alcoholic Wine based Spirit based Has quinine? Has iron citrate?
Tonic water X X
Irn Bru X X X
Vermouth X X
Quinquina X X X
China elixir X X X
Ferro china X X X X
Ferro China Amaro

30. So how, when & why did the Ferro China Category come to exist?
Why in Italy?
And why is there only one brand in Italy left?
Ferro China Amaro

31. Tons Of Crazy, Shady Stuff
 Strychnine, strychnos nux-vomica
tree
 Cocaine, paper by Paolo
Mantegazza,
professor in Milan (1860)
 China Marziale – china + nux
vomica + cocaine

32.  1863: Vin Mariani,
French-Corsican Angelo Mariani
 6mg to 7.2mg cocaine extract/oz.
 Fans: Queen Victoria, Thomas
Edison
 Vatican gold medal from Pope
Leo XIII
Tons Of Crazy, Shady Stuff

33. - 1863: Vin Mariani
- Inspired Coca-Cola (1885)
Tons Of Crazy, Shady Stuff

36.  Korea declares independence from
China.
 International Olympic Committee
founded.
 State of New York enacts first dog-
licensing law.
 Both Baliva and Bisleri brands of ferro
china born - the first entirely Italian
health tonic brands
1894

37. Dr. Ernesto Baliva
 Born 1863
 Graduated medical school 1880s
 Worked Red Cross, battling malaria in
south Italy
 Worked Farmacia Langeli, licensed to
import china since 1838
 Created Ferro China Baliva 1894,
outsourced production to Pompilio
Benedetti & received royalties.
 Benedetti exported to US during
Prohibition as “medicinal alcohol”

38.  Adults: a shot before dinner,
also as aperitif
 Children: a spoon before bed,
or whipped into an egg yolk
Ferro China Baliva

39. PRODUCTION
PROCESS

40.  Every distilling manual 1850-1900 had FC recipes
 Exports to the Americas, Asia, India
-
The Ferro China Craze

41. The Argentina Connection
-
Ferrocarril (Railway)
 1 part ferro china
 1 part Pineral
 1 part vermouth
 1 dash maraschino
liqueur
 1 dash grenadine syrup
Shake with ice
Strain into cocktail coupe

42. @philipduff @saperebere #IronAmaro #TOTC2016
Then Suntans Became Popular...
 1922: Fascists valued suntans & healthiness (“workers”)
 1923: Coco Chanel, Josephine Baker

43. @philipduff @saperebere #IronAmaro #TOTC2016
1914: Slight Interruption To Our Scheduled Programming

44. @philipduff @saperebere #IronAmaro #TOTC2016
1939: ...And Again.

45. 2015
Diageo cease production of Ferro China Bisleri
2017
Pallini resume production of Ferro China Baliva

47. with
Philip Duff
powered by
The Cinchona Chronicles
@philipduff @fcbaliva
@philipsduff @ferrochinabaliva

48. Thank you for your attention!
This slide deck: www.slideshare.net/philipduff
Philip Duff: philip@liquidsolutions.org