Source: Atlas Obscura
Alkermes is a syrupy, spicy liqueur whose bright red color originally came from an unusual source: the scales of the kermes insect. In modern times, the bugs have largely been replaced with synthetic dyes (a few insect-tinted varieties remain), but the striking spirit remains a colorful and flavorful addition to Italian desserts.
Alkermes’s origins go back to ninth-century Persia, when a physician invented it as a nonalcoholic restorative. It was a drink for the wealthy classes, composed of spices and exotic ingredients such as gold leaf, crushed pearls, and ambergris, colored with kermes. In the 17th century, Europeans came across a similarly scarlet insect in the Americas….