Poli Distillerie

Who says Taiadèa, says Bassano del Grappa

In fact, Tagliatella, also Tajadea or Taiadèa in venetian language, is the most typical liqueur made in Bassano and is made by “cutting” (tajare in venetian), so combining Grappa with quina’s bark infusion (Cinchona Calissaya).

Quina is a plant growing in the rain forest in the Andes: its bark was once used by Quechua Indians in Peru to treat malaria-related temperature. It is used in liqueurs and herb liqueurs as well and during the English colonization India, it was added to mineral water to prevent malaria.

That’s how tonic water and eventually Gin and Tonic were born.

Being malaria a concrete threat in Veneto too, the best way to treat it was putting quina bark to infuse together with Grappa, the easiest alcoholic “solvent” to be found in the local area, in order to extract the healing properties.

What Gin and Tonic was for English people, Taiadèa became a sort of popular remedy among Venetians.

Taiadèa’s taste was appreciated from the very beginning and the recipe was later enhanced by adding further herbal extracts.
The Poli distillery has been faithful to its original venetian name (Taiadèa) for decades and the family recipe features a perfect balance of Grappa and alcoholic infusion of Quina bark, with the addition of orange peel and cloves.

When looking at its colour, it’s both dark and reddish; when smelling it, the nose is filled with spicy and intense notes; in the mouth, it stands out because of its sweet and at the same time bitterish taste.