Alchermes is a liquor made with spices (including clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, bay leaves) and cochineal that is said to have its origins in Renaissance Florence. It was originally used to color textiles and, only later, as a food coloring. The name alchermes (or alkermes) probably derives from the Spanish alquermes, which came from an Arabic word that meant “scarlet.”
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