Chinotto is a citrus fruit originally from China, exclusively grown on the Ligurian coast, in the Savona area since the end of the 19th century. These small, uniquely fragrant fruits, used to be sold candied and preserved in maraschino, after having been kept under a sea water brine for some time. At the beginning of the 1930s, the first chinotto soda appeared: it was produced by San Pellegrino, but its real inventor remains a mystery.    

Chinotto enjoyed great popularity until the 1960s, only to be almost forgotten until the dawn of the new Millenium, when he had a new lease of life and found its way into many a popular cocktail. Chinotto’s bottles are usually pleasantly retro in style, and we all pretty much remember them behind the counter of our dairy shops and local café, more than behind that of some fancy bar.