Caminho do Sul Itália
─ The GIN SUL Special Edition 2021 ─
ACROSS THE ALPS ON TWO VESPAS
The Road of the South to the scent of the South. For us, this usually means the scent of the Algarve in Portugal. But this year, when we were finally able to travel a little, we set out to find out what the scent of the south tastes like at our neighbours around the Mediterranean.
Towards the sun in a southward direction. On our own wheels. How we have missed that!
Max and Stephan set off for Italy on two old Vespas - in search of the perfect espresso.
THE SCENT OF ITALY
INVIGORATES THE SENSES
When you think of perfect espresso, there's no way around northern Italy. It's where all trade routes
converge and exactly where the European coffee
culture has its origins. We set out to fuse the DNA
of espresso with classic gin botanicals and thus
capture the scent of Italy.
And so our journey takes us from Austria to the world capital of coffee: Trieste, to green coffee traders and
the most famous coffee house in Italy - and through Veneto and Trentino to the renowned "Omkafè”
coffee roastery on Lake Garda.
OVER THE GROSSGLOCKNER HIGH ALPINE ROAD TO ITALY
At the crack of dawn with a solid 5 hp up the mountain - trough rain and fog - we had imagined it a bit differently. At the Fuscherlacke
at the Mankeiwirt a hot coffee warmed us up a bit before we headed towards Italy via Heiligenblut.
The Bottle
"Caminho do Sul" is Portuguese for the "Road of the South". Bottled in the typical Gin Sul clay bottles, the dry gin is limited to 3,000 bottles and has a stamp on our signature cork.
The Team
GIN SUL founder Stephan (left) and Max (right) do not only have gasoline in their blood, on this trip there is also plenty of caffeine. Sleeping is out of the question anyway: there are too many impressions to absorb.
The origin of a perfect
ESPRESSO lays in her hands
─ Sandalj - green coffee Trader, Trieste ─
To be precise: at Sandalj, one of the oldest and most renowned green coffee traders in the world.
This is where the decision is made as to which coffees are purchased from which regions and
which producers, and which blends are put together from them.
This afternoon, thanks to the expertise of "Q Grader" Bianca Maschio, the choice for our special edition is pure
Arabica from Indonesia.
Cupping
That's what the professional tasting of a coffee is called, during which its quality is checked and evaluated.
Green coffee traders like Sandalj carry out cuppings every day to evaluate the quality of the green coffees offered and delivered, and
thus also to form a price.
Not only must all technical parameters be comparable during cupping, but the choice of cup and the addition of sugar are also strictly regulated, Mauro Capellino explains.
TRIESTE, THE CAPITAL OF COFFEE
The Caffè SAN MARCO
─ Antico Caffè San Marco, Via Battisti 18, 34125 Trieste ─
As if time had miraculously stopped at the beginning of the last century. The stylistic melange combines elements from the Venetian art style of the turn of the century with the secessionist Wiener Jugendstil.
Caffè San Marco owner Alexandros Delithanassis used to be a publisher. The café, opened in 1914, therefore also houses a bookstore today.
What makes a good coffee and how do you prepare it? Where better to find out than here, where coffee history has been written since 1914.
Vespa 150
The 1959 Vespa 150 once belonged to a baker in Portugal before it laid dormant in Uncle „Tio Xico‘s“ barn for over 40 years. Our distiller Rafael‘s father kissed her awake a few years ago. Since then, she has only been moved from winecellar to winecellar for small tours.
Until today: Despite its modest 5.5 horsepower, it has made
it to a proud 2,504 metres above sea level.
Vespa PX 125
In the eighties it was the measure of all things: the PX. It was
quite fast for those days and you could easily outrun all the Ciao,
Bravo, Hercules and PK - only to get off a short time later in
front of a café, take off your helmet and throw your hair back.
Bella Italia! from Veneto to Trentino:
off to
Lago di Garda
After a jump into the cold water, it's arrivederci Trieste. Next stop: Lake Garda. From Trieste we take the Passo Pian delle Fugazze to Riva del Garda. Almost at our destination, we treat ourselves and our elderly Italian ladies to a short break at the "Bar Alpino" in Parrocchia. As so often, the Vespas are welcome guests here.
THE OMKAFÈ
COFFEE ROASTERY NEAR RIVA DEL GARDA
Omkafè roasting master and owner Giovanni Martinelli
allows us deep insights into the art of "Torrefazione",
coffee roasting, and gives us valuable suggestions for
the recipe of our special edition.
Coveted beyond the borders of Italy: Espresso roasts from Omkafè.
Passion for coffee in the third generation: The Martinellis.
GIN SUL distiller Rafael Vieira, Carroux roastmaster Boy Peter Pilz and
Max Friedrich in front of the Carroux headquarters in Blankenese.
The green coffee was delivered fresh from Trieste the day before. The "Indonesia Sumatra Mandheling Grade One" Arabica is one of the fullest-bodied highland coffees available anywhere in the world. Selected for our gin by Sandalj in Trieste and by our distillers Rafel
and Manuel. And then freshly roasted on the Probat by
Boy Peter Pilz. Thank you Boy!
The Botanicals
Juniper berries, cacao nibs,
cardamom, cinnamon, coriander,
ginger and angelica root, fresh lemon
peel and of course freshly roasted
Arabica espresso coffee make Caminho
do Sul Itália the perfect blend of
gin and coffee.
THE TASTING NOTES
Finely balanced melange of fresh juniper, intense coffee and harmonious freshness. The carefully roasted Indonesian Arabica beans provide a multi-faceted aroma of creamy noisette, hazelnut and dark chocolate. A sophisticated interplay with the spicy and fresh notes of coriander, cardamom and lemon provide long-lasting complexity.
The Design
For Caminho do Sul, we were once again able to win over Hamburg-based tattoo artist Tobias Tietchen. Thank you Tobi!
Drinks please!
Enjoy "Caminho do Sul Itália" neat, as a classic Gin & Tonic or as a twist on the Espresso Martini.
Espresso Martini
6 cl Caminho do Sul Itália
3 cl espresso
2 cl sugar syrup
Add all ingredients to the shaker. Top up with ice cubes and shake vigorously for 15 seconds until frothy.
Strain into pre-chilled martini glass and garnish
with coffee beans.
Limited to 3,000 numbered bottles worldwide.
Available October 26, 2021.
Grazie
Grazie mille to Antonio Vieira und Tobias Witte for the Vespas • Mark Albrecht, Two Stroke Loft • Barny Hauffe • Herbert Haslinger, Mankeiwirt Fuscherlacke • Bianca Maschio, Mauro Capellino und Maurizzio Stocco, Sandalj Trading Company • Alexandros Delithanassis, Café San Marco • Bar Alpino, Parrocchia • Elena Bertagnolli, Angelini Alessandra und Giovanni Martinelli, Omkafè • Land Rover Auto Bierschneider • Ulrich Carroux und Boy Peter Pilz, Carroux Caffee • Sven Kellerer, Das Aufkleberamt • Marcelino Silva und Familie • Sabine Panten und Andrea Pfaff, Lexlumen • Tastillery • Michaela Richter und Akali Shigenobu • Tobias Tietchen • Sven Patrick Kohlmeier, Mediadruckwerk • Sarah Andresen und Michaela Starck, studiofunk.de • Johannes Schlörb as well as Célia, Gregor, Max, Manuel, Sandro and Rafael.