Bar: Amaro And Other Digestifs

Question 1

Amaro Abano

Answer 1

30% abv - Very dark, almost black amaro. Herbaceous / botanical aroma of orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with hints earth and roots. Middle ground of the bitter to sweet ratio, with the linger bitter coming from orange peel and cardamom

Question 2

Averna Amaro

Answer 2

29% abv - Sweeter, less bitter amaro, approachable. Averna has a mouth-coating and bittersweet taste, with hints of orange and liquorice, and notes of myrtle, juniper berries, rosemary, and sage. The recipe was originally created by Benedictine Monks of Abazzia Di Santo Spirito. In 1868 they gifted the recipe to a Sicilian textile merchant, Salvatore Averna, who became the amaros namesake. Averna is still produced in Caltanissetta, Sicily, near to where Salvatore Averna had his farmhouse.

Question 3

Braulio

Answer 3

21% abv - Light, floral amaro with a nice bitter to sweet balance. Braulio was invented in 1875 by botanist, Dottore Francesco Peloni, in the Valtellina mountain region of the Italian Alps. 13 fresh herbs, sourced from this region, including gentian, juniper, peppermint, star anise, wormwood, bitter orange, and yarrow, are infused with alcohol, and then matured in Slavonian oak barrels for two years to make Braulio

Question 4

Amaro Ciociaro

Answer 4

30% abv - A floral bright aroma characterized by dandelions, flat cola, and lemon, with a hint of tobacco. The flavor is deep and rich, expressing a wave of cola, cloves, gentian, lemon zest, and a touch of smoke. Invented in 1873 by Vincenzo Paolucci when he moved to Sora in Ciociaria, Italy

Question 5

Cynar

Answer 5

16.5% abv - Cynar is made from a base of artichokes, infused with 13 other herbs and plants. The recipe is secret. It is lower abv, so is very full with a wonderful bitter-sweet play, and the distinctive flavor coming from the artichoke leaves. It was created in 1952, by Angelo Dalle Molle, a Venetian entrepreneur. The name comes from Cynar scolymus, the botanical name for artichoke

Question 6

Amaro Dell’Erborista

Answer 6

21% abv - Bitter, light bodied cloudy, and dry. For those who enjoy bitter, Amaro Dell’Erborista is amazing. It creates a lovely combination of bitter herbs and roots from the Sibillini Mountains, with honey as the sweetener. This amaro is unfiltered, causing the cloudy color, but also allowing the raw honey flavor to truly pop. Amaro Dell’Erborista has been produced by the Varnelli family since the 1800’s

Question 7

Amaro Meletti

Answer 7

32% abv - Sweet with a light bitter finish. The aroma is characterized by cinnamon, orange peel, and caramel notes. The flavor is full of hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a lingering flavor of biscotti cookie and amaretto. The key bitter flavor comes from bitter genziana root. The recipe is held secret by the Meletti family, and was first produced in the very early 1900’s

Question 8

Amaro Montenegro

Answer 8

23% abv - Very well rounded amaro, highly approachable. The aroma is bright, citrusy, and sweet, with hints of vanilla. The flavor combines hints of bitter and herbal, spicy and floral, sweet and roasted, fresh and balsamic, fruity and sweet, warm and tropical. It is made from 40 different ingredients, including: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, orange, artemesia, marjoram, coriander, and oregano. Amaro Montenegro is traditionally distilled in Bologna, Italy, and was first produced in 1885 by Stanislao Cobianchi. It was named after Princess Elena of Montenegro

Question 9

Amaro Nardini

Answer 9

31% abv - Smooth and heavy, well balanced. Deep bitter orange, mint, and licorice aroma. Nardini expresses an herbal and fruity flavor, starting with an immediate minty taste, bitter notes coming from gentian root, and finishing with a pleasant note of licorice and bitter orange. The color is an intense chocolate brown. The recipe was devised by the Nardini family, who have also been making some of Italy’s finest Grappa, in Bassano del Grappa in the Veneto Region of Italy, since 1779

Question 10

Amaro Nonino

Answer 10

35% abv - Elegant and balanced amaro, with a lovely herbal bouquet. Very approachable, high quality amaro, that is overall less sweet, less bitter, and lighter than other amaros. The aroma is characterized by orange zest, bitter orange, marmalade, thyme, and menthol, with hints of exotic notes like mango. The flavor expresses a wonderful play of bitter and sweet, with notable tones of pepper and licorice, and leaves with an aftertaste of cocoa. Nonino is a grappa based amaro, infused with a blend of gentian, saffron, licorice, rhubarb, sweet and bitter orange, tamarind, quassia bark, cinchona bark, and galenga, among others, and aged for 5 years. It is light reddish-brown in color

Question 11

Amaro Ramazzotti

Answer 11

30% abv - Sweet and gentle amaro. The aroma is characterized by hints of root beer, candied root beer, bitter root, and nutmeg. The flavor expresses notes of orange peel, cardamom, myrrh, galangal and cinnamon, surrounding a body of ripe plum, dark berry, and cola flavors, with a pleasantly spiced, lightly bitter finish. Ramazzoti was first created in 1815 in Milan, Italy, and still uses the same secret recipe, composed of 33 herbs

Question 12

Amaro San Constanzo

Answer 12

30% abv - Dry and minty on the nose, with a refreshing characteristic that pervays throughout. The aromas are characterized by minty and “macchia,” which are the wild herbs and vegetation indigenous to the Sorrento Peninsula in Southern Italy. The flavor expresses this minty coolness throughout, with pops of other herbs like fennel and rucola, and a sweet, smooth, lightly bitter finish. Distilled in Monte San Constanzo

Question 13

Amaro Santa Maria Al Monte

Answer 13

40% abv - More on the bitter side for amaro with a balance of sweet and herbaceousness. The aroma is slightly medicinal with a characteristic menthol note. The flavor express spice notes, jasmine, and ginseng, with a menthol finish. Santa Maria Al Monte was founded in Genoa, Italy in 1892, by monks of the Santa Maria Monastery near Florence

Question 14

Amaro Sibilla

Answer 14

34% abv - Lingering bitter flavor for the more experienced amaro drinker. The aroma is characterized by bitter herbs and dried fruit, chestnuts, walnut husk, and hints of coffee and honey. Being sweetened with honey rather than sugar, the first flavor is the honey sweetness, which is then followed by an intense bitter tannic flavor that lingers. Hints of chestnut, honey, dried fruit, vanilla, and coffee pop out throughout the bitter. Amaro Sibilla was first produced in 1868 by the Varnelli family

Question 15

Amaro Zucca

Answer 15

16% abv - Deep, rich, and smoky amaro made from rhubarb, hence its full name Rabarbaro (rhubarb in Italian) Zucca. The aroma is a mix of sweet and spice, with accents of citrus zest. The flavor is a nice balance of bitter and sweet, characterized by the rhubarb and touches of citrus and cardamom. Zucca was created by Ettore Zucca in 1845 Milan. It quickly became a symbol of sophisticated Milan, and was consistently drunk at the Italian Royal house

Question 16

Fernet Branca

Answer 16

Traditional Italian digestivo made from a secret mix of herbs including myrrh, saffron, chamomile and gentian. It is a dark brown color with a hint of green when held up to the light. The flavor is bitter, herbaceous, and sweet.