Italicus was created by an Italian bartender, Giuseppe Gallo, using a family recipe. It is a take on a Rosolio, an Italian liqueur made with rose petals dating back to the 15th century. Made at a family-owned distillery in Moncalieri, Torino, it begins with bergamot from the Calabrian region and cedro from Sicilia. The two ingredients undergo the sfumatura process – a traditional technique for manually extracting essential oils – before being blended with a neutral Italian spirit. After this, Roman chamomile from Lazio, lavender, gentian, yellow roses and melissa balm from Northern Italy are macerated together for several days before being added.