When Flavio texted me a strange URL a few weeks ago, I initially thought it was spam. It’s not every day that Flavio gets so excited about something to personally text all of his friends. I clicked on the link, and read about a peculiar new distilled spirit called Farmily, but we’re not talking about another craft gin, even if Farmily is full of botanicals. Farmily is made from distilled mountain pine, angelica, oregano, marjoram, rosemary and vanilla.

The name Farmily was inspired by the feeling shared not only by the staff but also the regulars who visit MaG – when you walk into one of Flavio or Marco’s bars, you feel the same emotion when you return home. Perhaps Flavio’s greatest gift as an entrepreneur is he makes everyone on his team feel like they part of a tightly-knit family. He gives each of the staff a beautiful ring with the 1930 and MaG logo. Everyone pulls their own weight, whether it’s by contributing a new cocktail recipe or doing clean-up duty at the end of the night.

Farm represents the fact that Farmily is an artisanal product, the result of foraging by Flavio and Marco, the latest trend in the mixology world where bartenders roam around in the woods in search of rare and interesting ingredients for their syrups, bitters or distilled spirits. FARM also contains the initials of the two bosses, Flavio Angiolillo and Marco Russo.

Handing the distillation process is the well-respected Quaglia distillery in Asti. Farmily is reminiscent of a gin that is even more floral and fresh on the palate. The spirit shows its true potential when mixed in a cocktail. The botanicals really help bring new life to classic gin drinks like the Gin Fizz, Negroni, Pink Lady or Aviation. Alternatively, it works great as a replacement to dull vodka in the Moscow Mule recipe. The truly remarkable aspect of Farmily is its versatility – it can even be used in place of the Tequila in a Margarita or the Rum in a Daiquiri. And if you’re experimenting with bartending at home like me, you won’t need to go out and buy dozens of different spirits. All you need is Farmily. The cocktail possibilities are endless.

You can find Farmily at MaG cafè but also other fine cocktail bars in Italy. Although the initial run was limited to 2150 bottles, Flavio plans to ramp things up as he launches Farmily in different markets around the world. Every year Flavio and Marco plan to source different botanicals, roots, spices and flowers, making each harvest unique.

To prepare the Farmily Pink Lady cocktail you will need 1.5 oz. Farmily, 1 Egg White, and 4 dashes Grenadine. Shake the ingredients very well with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Instead for the Farmily Aviation, Crème de violette or Creme Yvette, 0.5 oz Maraschino liqueur, 1.5 oz Farmily, and 0.5 oz Lemon juice. Add all the ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Thanks to Loris, Nico and Vito for the cocktails and Toney for the spectacular photos.

Farmily /July 24, 2016 by shane eaton