Vin Tonique Mariani

'For overworked men, delicate women and ailing children. Recommended by 8,000 licensed doctors' – this is how, in the late 19th century, this drink, containing cocaine (8.7 %) and alcohol (10 % by volume), was advertised in periodicals. The producers (and practising doctors) claimed it could cure the following ailments: nervous problems, malaria, insomnia, digestive disorders, overwork, impotence, seasickness and even melancholy. Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, Queen Victoria, Pope Leo XIII – these are just some of the famous names who, in their words, public statements and personal letters, proclaimed the miraculous effect and power of Vin Mariani.

Obviously, this 'magical drink' could not survive unchanged after the 1930 ban on psychotropic substances. Having lost one of its main ingredients, Mariani was forced to replace cocaine with extracts of other plants, which led to a decline in sales of the drink, and finally, in 1963, production of Vin Tonique Mariani was discontinued.

And it was only in 2017 that Angelo Mariani's descendant Christophe Mariani revived the legendary Vin Tonique Mariani. Today, instead of cocaine, a distillate of coca leaves from Bolivia is used – this removes the hallucinogenic alkaloid. The resulting spirit is blended with Corsican Vermentino wine.

This vermouth is suitable as both an aperitif and a digestif. The aroma is dominated by floral motifs, spices and bitter notes. On the palate, the drink balances its aroma with pleasant bitterness and deep notes of honey, wormwood and earthiness.