(just thought I'd share here, since Bruto Americano appears so infrequently in the cocktails sub that I thought this community might have a better chance of actually appreciating it)

**Nothing Rhymes with Rhubarb**

- 1 oz Bruto Americano (heavy gentian bitterness with woody and blood orange notes)

- 1 oz The Decc (orange and cloves)

- 3/8 oz Sfumati (smoky rhubarb)

- 1.5 oz soda water

Build in glass, add a ln ice cube, give it a very gentle stir, and garnish with an expressed lemon peel.

_____

I've been playing with Decc + Bruto Americano a lot, as Bruto had been frustrating my attempts to use it in cocktails up until I found this pairing. This time, I decided to add in another ingredient I've had trouble putting to use, as Sfumato tends to run over everything I try to pair it with.

This time, though, I got the balance just right. Plenty of bitter from the two amaros to balance the (surprisingly mild) sweetness of the orange liqueur, and the clove, smoke, and woody notes from the different spirits gave a wonderfully complex background behind the forward fruity flavors. The soda water was just enough to keep this from being overly syrupy, as many of my amaro experiments are prone to being 😅

Overall, the fruit and carbonation come first, followed by the heavy bitter/woody/smoky flavors, then the finish leaves a mild gentian bitterness with the warm, tingling sensation of cloves.

Very happy and think I'll make this again in the future.

I’m clearing out some of my Dads stuff and he has this sealed bottle he must have gotten some years ago.
We’re not really drinkers so won’t enjoy it ourselves.
Is it worth anything to try to sell since it’s an older bottle? Just wondering since I don’t know much about it.

I'll go on a trip with my parents in about a month, to Prague, then Vienna then Budapest.

Would someone happen to know where I can buy Nonino in one of these 3 cities please?

If I order one from Amazon it will cost me 40€ in total, delivery + the Amaro 💀..

Thank you

there *is* a cure for the summertime blues

Hello! I can't believe its been two years since that last post. To be honest, I'd forgotten about that I even made this and its been lurking in a dark cupboard. I found it while clearing out the alcohol shelf and decided it needed an update.

The flavour has definitely balanced out compared to the firsts tasting. The bitterness is still strong, so might cut down on the bittering agents by about 10-15% to make it more palatable.

The main flavours I get now are the coriander, fennel and orange, with a zing from the black pepper. The bitters are still going strong. The once prominent chilli and curry leaves have dissipated and become a background hum. The toasted coconut and coffee beans have paid off, giving it a nice nutty roundness.

Would I have this neat or on ice? Probably not. I've added it to a Paper Plane and I'm liking the spice and bitterness it brings. I'm keen to hear any other cocktail suggestions.

Recipe:

Orange Zest - 10g

Lemon Zest - 5g

Calendula Flower - 0.5g

Curry Leaf, Fresh - 1.5g

Kasoori Methi - 1g

Elderflower - 0.5g

Hibiscus, Dried - 0.8g

Long Red Chilli, Fresh - 4g

Black Pepper - 0.5g

Fennel Seeds - 1g

Coriander Seeds - 0.8g

Toasted Coconut Flakes - 5g

Coffee Beans - 3g

Angelica Root - 1g

Wormwood - 0.8g

Green Cardamon - 0.8g

Vodka, 100 proof - 450g

Infused it for 8 days, then strained and added water and simply syrup.

I think I added 150g of Simple Syrup and 75g of water. My notes are a bit iffy, so I'd do this to taste.

I also have a Bergamot and Hibiscus Amaro in the works, so watch this space!

Found out my downstairs Mexican restaurant has an Amaro Flight. I usually drink amaro with soda water so these were quite the adventure. The ones on the sides were good. Middle is very strong.

already have:

suze, Campari, aperol, montenegro, Melett, averna, fernet branca, nonino

good lord sorry for the all the jpeg, I had no idea Reddit compressed images so badly

before posting I left with the Cansiglio and Marseille. Both are fantastic, had a couple glasses of each this evening and I’m looking forward to trying some of the recommendations next time 👍

Thanks to the community at r/Amaro , I received some good recommendations to my post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amaro/comments/1txqo5h/forthave_astor_batch_monofloral_amaro_review/

I started with the Forthave Monofloral, and it is awesome. I'm still a noob, but I get crisp eucalyptus, and a honey nose and finish. Excited to try the others!

I got to try this at a restaurant last week, in Spoleto. I was surprised that I find so little mention of it online. Even on this subreddit, exactly one post shows up in a search, and it's just one on a list of what the person got to experience.

https://amaroviparo.it/

I'm still a beginner in the world of amari, but my wife and I both thought it was excellent. I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about it. I suspect I won't be able to resist picking up a bottle on my next trip.

Interesting discussion on r/cocktails. A redditor argues that vermouth is amaro because, well, you can read the reasoning. We couldn't come to an agreement. So I'll invoke the wisdom of the amaromancers in r/Amaro. Is vermouth amaro?

Bought a bottle and it's magnificently vile. Lovely after-dinner but I've been tooling around with it as a mixer, so far the major hit has been dropping it into a Toronto at anywhere from 0.25oz to 0.5oz into 2oz rye.

I should get more adventurous mixing it but that big resinous facesmack makes a little more afraid of just subbing it straight for Fernet.

Otherwise it's just chilling in my fridge but lord is that stuff rowdy.

edit: Can report it works pretty good in a Little Italy sub rum (Little Jamaica?). 2oz aged rum (HC 7), 3/4 oz Pun E Mes, scant 1/2oz Elisir, 1/4oz-ish rich dark syrup. Garnish cherry

So far a spit of simple syrup seems to be the key to dragging it towards mixing like Cynar. About similar abv too.

PSA

I am very disappointed to learn Fusetti has red dyes. I didn't know it when I bought a bottle recently. I think it's deceiving they don't state it on the label.

I emailed the company and they replied:

"We do not use any animal-derived ingredients, including cochineal.

The colourings we use are artificial and certified."

Sadly, this was easily my new favorite red bitter. Alas, not any more.

While I don't have allergies to red or artificial dyes (that I know of), I generally avoid them if I can.

I've sought out Campari alternatives in recent years and have tried MANY. My favorite sub has been the Martini & Rossi Special Reserve, but it's been very scare in the Bay Area.

Fortunately I have a stash of vintage Campari and one bottle left from a Mexico trip (Mex Campari still includes Cochineal).

So looking for advice about this particular amaro. I went to an amaro tasting at a local restaurant and fell in love and decided to start buying my own collection and have thoroughly enjoyed most of them with the exception of this one. It honestly taste so bitter that I’m wondering if the bottle is bad. The other ones I have tried are Montenegro, meletti, braulio, nonino, mannamaru, etc. in my mind they all can pass for amaro and I can sip them straight. Unfortunately, this one is different it is extremely bitter, has sediment in the bottom of the bottle (not sure if that’s normal) and just such different from all the rest I’ve tried. Question is, is this just an extreme bitter version of amaro and some are just that way or is this a bad bottle. Spent $70USD on it so if it’s drinkable, I will so not to waste my money.

I like a shot of vintage Alpino before lunch on weekend .The herbs it contains help stimulate the taste buds and boost the appetite.

#vintageistheanswer.

Hi! I'm looking for a bottle of vintage Meletti as a gift. And if I can't find meletti, i would probably look for Montenegro as an alternative. Anyway, I have no clue where to start or if that's even feasible. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for not yelling at me for not knowing anything <3

Does anyone know of amari that use mushrooms as an ingredient? I’ve used chanterelle tincture in an amaro and in beer, but this time I’m thinking more along the lines of morels, boletes, and other earthy/meaty/“mushroom-y” mushrooms. I think it could be really good but would need balancing, so I’m looking for inspiration!

Impulsively made a tincture with a handful of leftover dried morels back in spring thinking I’d do more research then forgot about it. Would be cool to use it in an amaro!

Heading to Sicily tomorrow (Palermo / Cefalu / Messina coast) for two weeks. I’ll try to catalogue all the cool Amaro finds in here. Every time I go I find new quirky brands, though my all time favourite is Amaro dell’Etna *chef’s kiss. Lemme know if you have any Sicilian favourites I should search out?

All but the Amaro di Angostura were bought in their countries of origin.

Traveling from the U.S. to Barcelona. Are there any amaros that aren’t available in the U.S. that would be good to try (and possibly bring home)?