Everything comes from the smooth cedar of Diamante. Already known by the Greeks and Romans, described as Apple of Media by Virgil in the “Georgics” and by Pliny the Elder in the “Natural History,” it is a variety of citrus fruit (family Rutaceae) among the oldest cultivated by man. The progenitor of many species belonging to the genus Citrus, obtained later through crosses, and a mystical citrus used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Together with a branch of palm, two of willow, and three of myrtle, it represents one of the various human traits: while the palm has sweet fruits but no scent, the willow lacks both, the myrtle has fragrance but no flavor, the cedar encompasses everything.
Precious treasure of the Riviera dei Cedri on the Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza, a unique place in the world where it is found, countless recipes are inspired by it.
But it finds one of its greatest expressions in the production of beverages, more or less alcoholic. It is precisely from this last use that MZero Sea Amaro was born, created with ingenuity and resourcefulness by Raffaele Cammarella during a historical period that was also a source of inspiration for many, namely during the Covid-19 pandemic. "A project I had dreamed of since my university days - explains the creator. - Together with my friend and partner Paolo Goffredi, who today handles all the productions of the workshop, we embarked on a journey that has led us to master the art of liqueur making and distillation. The fundamental idea was to renew the classic amaro drinking experience: we sought to differ a bit from traditional norms by directing the recipe towards freshness and flavor. Unlike traditional recipes, which make extensive use of alpine herbs and roots, we decided to concentrate the taste on botanicals coming from areas close to the sea, leaning towards fresher and citrusy flavors. The sea inspires the entire project, which revives the ancient custom of using sea water as a natural preservative.
A small happy insight that quickly grew bigger, almost like a fairy tale.
Christmas 2020: together with Paolo, working on old forgotten recipes, the first 500 bottles of MZero emerge. Simple pharmaceutical bottles, coated with scraps of recycled leather engraved with a laser printer. Almost as a game, this newly born elixir is shipped to the United Kingdom, to the World Drinks Awards, the largest international spirits competition. And here the unthinkable happens: it wins everything that could be won. Fifteen awards to crown a stunning and unexpected success. From the following day, a rain of requests depletes the stocks in no time, and after finishing the second batch of produced liqueur, the decision is made to open a proper distillery. Salvatore recounts: “My great-grandfather had a farm that primarily grew cedar, and at the time, in the early decades of the twentieth century, it was common to prepare brine in which to preserve citrus fruits using simple seawater. The fruits, once harvested and before being processed for candied fruit, were placed in a brine in wooden barrels with seawater, and shipped to larger processing centers up north. Once the citrus fruits were removed, a fragrant and antiseptic liquid remained, the precursor of Cologne water. From this custom, I got the idea to prepare a liqueur that possessed the character and aromas of the meeting between citrus fruits and the sea.”
The secret is, as always, a unique territory: an area where you transition from the coast to over 1000 meters in altitude in just three kilometers.
This element, combined with the mild climate and the warm air currents that meet the Apennines, allows the birth of unique and aromatic plant species. Of course, citrus fruits, but also myrtle, licorice, and all the Mediterranean scrub that offers useful plants for creating dozens of different recipes. "My great-grandfather was very ingenious - the producer still says - he cultivated the cedar fields right by the sea and was located halfway between the Bonifati train station, from which he shipped the barrels, and the telegraph through which he received orders. For many years, the business thrived, even though today, a hundred years later, little remains of these traditions. I live right in the same place where he worked and I feel this strong connection to the past."
In addition to cedar, harvested between October and December and processed fresh, the base of the bitter liqueur includes a few other ingredients all sourced locally: licorice, bitter orange, myrtle collected from the cliffs, and 3% microfiltered seawater to enhance the flavors. A tasting suggestion is to eat a piece of candied ginger after taking a sip of the bitter, as this will further highlight its aromas.
And then the particular attention to sustainability and the environment: only lightweight glass, aluminum cap, recycled leather and paper. Plastic is absent.
Always inspired by sustainability and the concept of adaptability is the new line of bitter Nomad Spirits, the latest creation of the distillery that is about to hit the market, a beverage that changes based on temperature. Bitter that when served cold will have more bitter nuances, at room temperature a more balanced flavor, and when heated sweeter and spicier notes.
"Mzero Sealab - Raffaele concludes - is an innovative startup that focuses almost all its resources on researching productive methods and innovative systems, with an eye towards preserving flavors and ancient products. It is one of the few companies to produce entirely in Calabria. We are aware that in the coming years there will be a significant weeding out of all those companies that have not managed to interpret the changes taking place in the beverage sector, and generally in society, and we are happy that our company has consolidated itself through the creation of an innovative production reality, which has made us independent and almost unique in the national and international market."
