Mirto — Sardinian Myrtle Liqueur

Sardinia — the myrtle scrubland (macchia mediterranea) covers vast areas of the island. The tradition of macerating wild berries in alcohol for digestivo liqueurs is ancient in Sardinia and the island's mirto is widely considered the benchmark expression of this berry.

Mirto (myrtle liqueur) is the defining digestivo of Sardinia: a liqueur macerated from fresh myrtle berries (Myrtus communis) gathered from the wild macchia scrubland that covers much of the island. The berries are steeped in neutral alcohol for 30-60 days, then sweetened and bottled. The result is a deep purple-black (from the berries' anthocyanins), intensely aromatic, and bittersweet — with a flavour of dark berries, resin, wild herbs, and a slight camphor note from the myrtle oils. It is served very cold, almost at freezing point, after meals.

Cold mirto presents as a rush of dark berry sweetness, followed by the resinous, slightly camphor note of the myrtle oils, then a long, bittersweet finish. The anthocyanins from the berries give a colour that stains the glass. The flavour is simultaneously fruity and herbal — like a digestivo designed for a place where the food just made demands something wild and aromatic to close.