BUGIN is the Italian project that combines mixology, cooking and barbecue.

I take this opportunity to introduce myself. 
I am Mauro Schiavo, creator of the Italian BUGIN project.

THE PASSION THAT MOVES US, A STORY THAT EVOLVES

1.1  MEAT, A FAMILY STORY

Grandfather Beppe, owner of a small family-run farm active for generations in the province of Turin, also loves producing his own cured meats: we are in the early 1900s.

In reality, the first part of my professional career focuses on mixology.
 
In 2007 my mother Carla opened her first butcher's shop. From that day on I specialized as a butcher.
 
In 2017, TASTA opened (which in Piedmontese dialect means “taste”), an excellent butcher's shop that we transform into a restaurant in the evening. I wanted to give customers a sincere, direct and concrete experience, giving them the opportunity to consume the meat they had just purchased directly in the butcher's shop. 

Right from the start, it was natural to combine my two professional paths, as a bartender and as a butcher. 
I'm starting to experiment with themed evenings with fine cuts of Fassona veal paired with cocktails. And I feel the need to use a distillate that allows me, through the selection of botanicals complementary to those used in cooking, to offer a coherent and integrated taste experience.

1.2 THE BEGIN OF BUGIN

Between 2018 and 2019, we finished the BUGIN gin recipe. The word “bocin”, in the Piedmontese dialect, means “veal”.

From the very beginning, I used it to massage the artisanal cured meats of our production, creating the first line of gin cured meats, still unique on the market. I decided to resume my grandfather's recipes: the approach is to follow and, at the same time, challenge the Piedmontese tradition.

The versatility of BUGIN gin in cocktails, especially during meals and aperitifs, is combined with its possible use in the kitchen, both to deglaze cuts of meat and to marinate them.

In 2022, to enrich the BUGIN range, we are launching another type of new product on the market: the Cocktail rubs. In these, the botanicals of BUGIN gin are the basis of six different mixes of salt, spices and herbs that bring back the scent and flavor of the most iconic cocktails: Martini Cocktail, Negroni, Gin Tonic, Spritz, Gin Mule and Mojito.

They are the first and only rubs that unite the worlds of mixology, cooking and barbecue. Simply use them to massage and flavor meat, fish, fruit and vegetables before any type of cooking: barbecue, grill, oven and pan. Attention to quality remains the common thread of the entire range: Cocktail rubs do not contain alcohol or preservatives.

Always following this new bridge that connects different worlds, since 2023 we have also been producing in our laboratory the first and only BBQ sauces, in American style, that unite the worlds of mixology and barbecue.
We produce them with recipes of herbs, spices and raw materials of the highest quality to recreate the aromatic notes of the most iconic cocktails. 
BUGIN BBQ sauces, as well as Cocktail rubs, do not contain alcohol or preservatives.​​

1.3 CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING

To release the notes of BUGIN gin in a special way, in 2024 we came out with two limited barricaded editions: the BUGIN Barrique Old Tom ex Vermouth gin, the result of a meticulous rest of the BUGIN gin in the barrel that previously held Vermouth di Torino Superiore rosso, and the BUGIN Barrique ex Timo.

The latter comes from the rest of the BUGIN gin in the barrel in which the thyme liqueur had previously been refined.

The last piece of the range is the Ready To Drink Gin Tonic in a can (250 ml, 7.8% VOL). Inside we have included the BUGIN gin and the classic tonic, with quinine only, to enhance the botanicals of the distillate.

We created it with the characteristics that make it the ideal Gin Tonic for meats and grills: both for the botanicals of BUGIN and for its delicate bitter note that refreshes the palate during meals.
You don't necessarily need to add ice: just chill the can in the fridge before consuming it. An incredible mix of convenience, aroma and flavours, also without preservatives.

Finally, the chunks for smoking are arrived, which we obtain from the two different oak barrels used to refine our barriqued gins.

For us it is vitally important to continue testing and introducing products that can allow you to live a 360-degree taste experience: from drinks to cooking, from pairings to everything that can be guided by the botanicals of BUGIN.