Marzadro Liqueurs from Trentino: From Creamy to Fruity
Marzadro liqueurs represent the sweet side of this family-run distillery in Trentino: the Crema Alpina range of cream liqueurs made with cream from Trentino milk, the Bellabomba egg liqueur, the Limoncino made from lemon peels, and the Noiela hazelnut liqueur. Their alcohol content ranges between 17 and 35 percent, significantly lower than that of their grappas.
Marzadro liqueurs are crafted in the same distillery in Nogaredo where they have been producing grappa since 1949. They are infused with fruits, nuts, coffee, or cream, often using the distillery's own spirits as a base. We carry twenty-three items from this line, ranging from 5 cl miniatures to one-liter bottles.
A herbal book as a beginning
The house's liqueur tradition is as old as the distillery itself and dates back to a notebook kept by founder Sabina Marzadro.
In the mountains around Brancolino, Sabina collected whatever she could use: woodruff, mountain pine, stinging nettle, juniper, rue. She wrote down how each of these was to be prepared. The notebook was later passed on to her brother Attilio and from him to his children.
Things got serious in the early eighties. The grappa market was in a crisis, and the family responded with a blueberry liqueur, picked in Baselga di Pinè at an altitude of one thousand meters and filled into the bottles by hand, one by one. Berries with tweezers – that is something you only do if you are serious.
A liqueur differs from a spirit by its sugar content and the ingredients used for infusion: fruits, nuts, herbs, coffee, or cream. The alcohol steps into the background and becomes a carrier rather than the main focus. At Marzadro, the liqueurs range from 17 to 35 percent, while the grappas range from 41 to 55 – a noticeable difference in the glass.
Crema Alpina, eight varieties with real cream
The majority of the liqueur assortment consists of the cream liqueurs of the Crema Alpina line, all with 17 percent alcohol and made with cream from fresh Trentino milk.
Things get nutty with the Crema Alpina Pistacchio, which has a pale green color in the glass and smells of roasted pistachio, and the Nocciola with hazelnut. The marzipan version tastes like Christmas, even in July.
For fruity flavors, there is the Wild Strawberry, the Melon, and the Lemon, which breaks up the creaminess with a hint of acidity. In between are the Caffè with a distinct espresso note and the Salted Caramel, which is cooked with fresh milk.
What defines this range is the cream itself. It comes from fresh milk from the Trentino valleys, and you can tell by the texture: a liqueur with real cream coats the tongue smoothly and leaves a short, creamy film behind. A detailed description of all eight varieties can be found under Crema Alpina.
Bellabomba, known as Bombardino in Italy
The Bellabomba is the house's egg liqueur, made from Trentino milk, egg yolk, and rum, with 17 percent alcohol.
In Italy, it is known as Bombardino and is a staple of ski lodges: served hot, topped with a dollop of whipped cream, after a morning in the snow. Thick, warm, sweet – a drink that limbers up your fingers again.
We carry it in four sizes, from the miniature to 200 ml and 500 ml, up to the one-liter bottle. Cold from the fridge, it is just as good with vanilla ice cream as it is over a slice of marble cake.
The Limoncino and the idiosyncratic Noiela
Two liqueurs stand out from the creamy range because they are clear and contain significantly more alcohol.
The Limoncino Ricetta Tradizionale is created by infusing lemon peels in alcohol, as the aroma of the lemon is in the peel and not in the juice. Pale yellow, slightly cloudy, 35 percent – intentionally strong, because the alcohol carries the peel oil better. It is also available in a small size.
The Noiela is the most idiosyncratic of the bunch: roasted hazelnuts based on Diciotto Lune, the house's eighteen-month aged grappa. This gives the nut liqueur a barrel-aged foundation that hardly any other has. 25 percent, amber-brown, velvety, and spicy.
Roasted is the key word here. Raw hazelnut tastes green; only through heat does it develop those brown nougat aromas known from confectionery. This is exactly what Marzadro captures in alcohol. That is why the Noiela also wins over people who otherwise have little interest in liqueur – underneath the nut flavor lies a spirit they recognize.
Ice-cold from the fridge
Cream liqueurs should be drunk cold, near zero degrees, and they reward you with a texture that is lost at room temperature.
So feel free to put the bottle in the freezer; at 17 percent, nothing freezes. A small stemmed glass or a shot glass is enough; nobody needs more than four centiliters at a time. The Limoncino handles the cold just as well, while the Noiela looks good even at room temperature.
Our dessert tip: pour the Crema Alpina Pistacchio over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you have a dessert that takes only two steps to prepare. A dash of it also works well in espresso, and the Limoncino goes wonderfully with a piece of lemon cake. We also have a calibrated liqueur glass available.
The Limoncino can do more than just be drunk neat: it makes an aperitif when mixed with Prosecco, a summer drink with soda and mint, and a dash in cake batter keeps the lemon flavor through to the last piece. The Noiela, on the other hand, does not need the fridge at all – it stands at room temperature and tastes like a dessert you can drink when added to espresso.
Pre-packaged for gift-giving
If you don't know which variety will be a hit, go for the set with several small bottles and let the recipient decide for themselves.
The Crema Alpina miniature set gathers five 5 cl bottles in a box with five compartments: the cream liqueurs Nocciola, Pistacchio, and Limone, plus the clear Limoncino and the Bellabomba. This puts the entire liqueur side of the house in one box – small enough for a handbag, pretty enough for the gift table.
There is a simple rule for the pantry: anything containing cream belongs in the fridge after opening and will keep there for several months. The clear Marzadro liqueurs like Limoncino and Noiela are more modest; they stay at room temperature and hardly change. Creamy, velvety, uncomplicated – the Marzadro liqueurs don't need more care than that.
And if you are interested in the clear side after all the sweetness: the pomace brandies from the same house can be found under Marzadro Grappa, and the entire assortment under Distilleria Marzadro. Taste your way through, and you'll know exactly what you like.
