Florio Gran Chef Marsala

Marsala, a type of fortified wine, hails from the southern sunny part of Sicility in Italy. It’s commonly used as a cooking wine these days and this one by Florio, one of the big Marsala producers, is “Ambra Demisec” (made with white grapes and medium sweet).

In 1798 the Sicilians were substituing their own wines in place of the standard rum in English naval shipments. Brandy was added to help it last the long ocean journeys. Those cheeky Italian buggers soon got the Brits demanding more of their delicious Marsala wine!

That demand came from across the Atlantic too. During the prohibition days people found that Marsala looked a lot like medicine, making it less risky than other types of booze.

Remember, it’s not chicken marsala without the marsala so make sure you keep a bottle in the pantry!