Crodino

The drink was devised by Società Anonima Terme di Crodo, a mineral water bottling company owned by Parma entrepreneur Piero Ginocchi, with the formulation developed by Maurizio Gozzelino, a wine expert from Cuneo. First production commenced in 1965, yielding over 50,000 bottles. Before the current name settled, the drink passed through two earlier names: Picador and then Biondino. Crodino takes its name from the Piedmont comune of Crodo, where it was bottled from 1964 to 2023. Campari Group acquired the brand in 1995, and Crodino has been manufactured within the group since. Production is now based at the Novi Ligure plant.

The recipe draws on 15 high-quality botanicals: herbs, spices, and roots including cardamom, cloves, coriander, and nutmeg, along with more than ten other herbs and spices, and quinine. These botanicals are steeped in infusion for up to six months; the process also involves distillation before the liquid is carbonated and bottled. The extraction methods are unchanged since the 1960s. The resulting drink has a bittersweet, spicy herbal flavour with a citrus finish and a clear rust-orange colour.

Crodino was conceived at a time when Italian liquorists and entrepreneurs were searching for alcohol-free options for adult drinkers, positioned for the pre-dinner aperitivo moment. It is Italy's most popular non-alcoholic aperitif, primarily consumed there and across other European countries. UK distribution began in 2021, French distribution in 2022, and Campari America announced a US market debut in May 2025.