The alembic and the coffeepot. The brandy house in 18th century Italy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the discourse on “public houses” in the early modern period by introducing into the debate a type of establishment widely spread in Italy: the so-called bottega da acquavitaio (brandy house). Initially serving as pharmaceutical workshops associated with acquavite (brandy) distillation, these stores eventually acquired characteristics of public houses. With the introduction of colonial beverages in Europe, these shops undergo a transformation in merchandise, taking on distinctive features such as the extensive sale of coffee. Drawing upon a micro-historical approach, we present a case study centered on Turin to investigate this phenomenon. Our analysis illustrates that, in the 18th-century Italian context, distinctions between the brandy house and the coffeehouse are not straightforward. On the contrary, these shops were places where traditions and novelties intertwined, actively participating in the definition of modern European public drinking patterns.