China Massagli Elixir was created in 1855 by Doctor Pasquale Massagli in the pharmacy which is still in place today in piazza San Michele in Lucca. This slightly alcoholic drink contains no conservatives and works wonders on the digestive system. It also makes a delicious aperitif. China Massagli Elixir, which is generally known simply as ‘China’, was made exclusively in the Massagli pharmacy until the end of the nineteenth century. It was only in 1901 that the drink was commercialised. The fame of this drink grew and reached a peak in the years between the two World Wars.