"Filu 'e ferru", or "iron wire", is an old drink with a dangerous past and an alcohol concentration of up to 45 percent that knocks down even the most stable of people. Rosa Maria Scrugli was 23 years old when in 1970 she was sent on a work mission to the small town of Santu Lussurgiu, located in the wild Oristano area of western Sardinia among rocky hills and caves.

For 400 years, this country with almost 2000 inhabitants has made a powerful "filu 'e ferru" locally called "abbardente" - a word derived from the Latin meaning "overwhelming water", Telegrafi reports. The mayor greeted Scrugli at noon with a few welcoming shots, but by the time she had her second toast, she nearly fell over the city's first, who was a little clumsy.