Eleanora Cuancia harvests young cones and buds each spring from mugo pines in Italy. She stores them in the sun till fall and while they catch a tan they slowly expel syrup. In fall she cooks the syrup down over a low fire with sugar till it's hazel brown and smells deeply of resinous pine. Into the bottle, off to us.

If you’re thinking this is like Pine Sol, though, you’re way off. And if you're hoping to find recipes for this in your Italian cookbook, you're probably out of luck. (In fact, if you find one, send it to us!) But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little creative and find plenty of ways to use it. Mugolio’s scent and flavor is delicate and complex. A drizzle enhances fresh goat cheese or fruits like pears and apples. If you serve pies a la mode, a few drops will blow adventurous feasters off their collective feet.

Still not sure what to do with Mugolio pine syrup? Check out these 9 Ideas. If you create a few of your own we’d love to hear them and maybe add to the list. One of our customers told me her sister-in-law spooned it in hot tea for sore throats and coughs. Sounds good. What about you? Email moeats@zingermans.com.

9 Mugolio Ideas