The story of Vecchio Magazzino Dogonale as we know it today begins in a shipwreck. While en route to Italy, a group of British soldiers guided by their Captain, Jefferson, found themselves in a perilous storm at sea. Their ship was thrown off course and eventually sank, but their will to live was strong. After clinging to only a large piece of luggage amongst the crashing waves, at long last they washed ashore on a beach. Near death, the shipwrecked sailors wandered around rural Calabria among citrus groves and botanical paths until they stumbled upon an old customs warehouse. The owner of the warehouse—a Vecchio Magazzino Dogonale—was Giocando who ran a store selling spices and smuggled spirits. He gave the soldiers work in exchange for lodging. While recovering from their grueling journey, the soldiers fell in love with the nature and beauty of Calabria and decided to make it their home. They used the abundant vegetation to create and distill unique spirits, and the nascent amaro was born.
In 1886 at the height of the Belle Époque, Captain Jefferson arrived in London. He drove a makeshift scrap metal car with only three wheels, and in the trunk were many wooden crates of his first international bottlings of Amaro Importante. Bitter liqueurs were not well-known in London at the time, but his amaro was well received, even earning the nickname “Better Bitter”
Today the Vecchio Magazzino Dogonale spirits continue to be highly acclaimed, and Amaro Importante was voted the world’s best liqueur of 2018. Ivano Trombino is the current producer of these amazing products and uses the recipes recorded in the diary of Captain Jefferson. He sources rosemary from Montalto Uffugo, oregano from Palombara, bergamot from Roccella Ionica, and of course bitter and sweet oranges from Calabria.
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