select pilla aperitivo, from italy

i went on vacation to the coast last month so i tried this while driving on the beach. the weather was quite obnoxious during my evaluation so i sat in my car looking out to the ocean. while the car shook back and forth from the wind and rain, the pilla aperitivo glowed on the dashboard from the somehow unobstructed midday sun. it might be one of the brightest, most saturated aperitifs i’ve seen so far, resembling children’s cough syrup if i’m to be honest. on the nose i immediately received bitter botanicals and a heavy hit of almond, followed by vanilla, carmelized sugar and maraschino cherry (all which helped round out and compliment the initial almond note). the longer i smelled, the more of a chemical adhesive/rubber cement note showed up, a trend that i personally enjoy very much. i was shocked after taking the first sip. you get sweet syrup, creamy milk chocolate, a handful of indiscernible ingredients (it all happens so fast!), and then a pleasantly cloying tomato moment. more notes followed; spicy, peppery, bitter grapefruit and cherry. i didn’t get any of the almond notes i smelt initially and i also didn’t find any cinchona on the palette - which for me, gets points as i’m still coming around to that particular flavor. overall there is this consistent “burnt sugar” accord that, in my mind, could be applied throughout every note; think of cherries, pine, apricots, celery, thyme, and citrus rinds all being tied together in some sort of manic thanksgiving satchel that’s then cooked down in a syrup of its own juices, to the point of an almost burnt resinous sap. god bless to this one, i say try and buy.

grade: b+

brucato woodlands amaro, from california, united states

usually i try to stay away from the contemporary, domestic labels that seemingly are popping up everyday, but this time i felt the need to switch things up. as i have started this personal project of exploring amari, aperitifs and the likes, my thought process has been quite strict; to explore the classics from italy first and foremost to help me lay the groundwork of what a true amaro should be. once i’ve covered that expansive surface, ideally i’d be knowledgeable enough to start exploring the newer brands that are less traditional with their array of ingredients. after having this selection from brucato, i’ve thrown my initial strategy out the window, it doesn’t need to be this serious! from now on i plan to include newer brands alongside the classics. i hope this will make the readers experience a little more exciting as well. :-) the drink was a fun one, one i recommend. on the nose immediately i got blueberry, jolly rancher, fig, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, anise, and fruit leather. interestingly enough the similar notes didn’t really overlap all that much and instead i got these specific notes at separate moments, which made for a really pleasant and engaging experience. the color of the amaro had a deep warm orange hue in low lighting, yet a slight purple shade would appear in brighter light, like the playfulness in its flavor corresponded to its appearance. upon tasting it, the main notes were cherry and chocolate, followed by a sharp bitter botanical note (one i sadly couldn’t put my finger on), and lastly was rounded out with orange and fig. the experience overall was just tasty from start to finish, like a chocolate cherry tart. sweet and youthful. i recommend adding some water or allowing some ice to melt into it, it really shines with some dilution.

grade: b+

underberg, from germany

my night matched my experience with underberg with distinct parallels; lacking in taste, gimmicky and unpleasant. i was dragged to a queer, folk/country musician’s concert and was also tasked with managing two of my friends that are energetically and spiritually opposed. one was visiting from out of state and i wanted to soak up every second with them before they left, however both the drink and the night left much to be desired. it was extremely dry, to which, i’ll give it that, was a new profile i had yet to taste. it was so sharp and flat, lacking any sweetness or nuance that i assumed my lips or tongue would go numb. i was wrong. in terms of the three flavor families that aperitifs and digestifs alike often float inbetween (medicinal, vegetal/herb, spice/gourmand), this was definitely the most unbalanced digestif i’ve tried to date. underberg tasted like mouthwash with hints of clove and anise. the nose had slightly more to give with notes of cinnamon, chocolate, orange, and licorice. my stomach felt crazy the next day and i would not suggest or wish this on anybody.

grade: f

foro amaro, from italy

this one was pretty boring, i also didn't get an interesting photo of the drink. i mean it was fine, but it was kind of a wake up call in the sense that a lot of these are all starting to taste the exact same, which i suppose could be on me since i’m responsible for discerning the unique differences in each one. it made me realize that my first few ratings were starting to not make sense, so i’ve gone back and adjusted grades from my previous reviews. but yeah, this foro just tasted like a less exciting montenegro. pine, cedar, orange, caraway, anise, cola, clove, caramel, rosemary, juniper, coriander, cinchona. the only things special to note is that it was quite spicy - black and pink peppercorns everywhere. also, the vegetal notes that are usually hidden at first were extremely present right at the front which was a nice change of pace.

grade: c-

amaro montenegro, from italy

i got this in a little travel size bottle during my visit to peresephones, along with another aperitivo from the distillery pilla (review forthcoming). this was fun and an entirely new experience taking in an amaro from the comfort of my own home. the nose on it was quite robust and agreeable; the main wood note oscillated between a finished, polished varnish and a natural cedar - reminiscent of a sauna. other notes lying around complimented the wood; like orange and lemon peel, thyme, eucalyptus and coriander. the deeper i inhaled, the more i settled on varnish - thinking it must be the result of the cedar and orange. the body was syrupy but not too much so. the first tasting note you get is a very bold and sweet orange, cedarwood crawls up eventually and takes over, then a wave of all the medicinal herbs, and lastly, chocolate shows up and with it, brings back the orange. there was also a palpable spiciness that i couldn’t identify as it didn’t resemble anything in the peppercorn family. overall, the montenegro performed like a nice classic amaro and it seems to be billed as such in the research i've done. i’d recommend to someone whose interested in a more sweet focused, middle of the road amaro, versus something more medicinal. as a charitable read, it reminded me of my favorite holiday confection, terry chocolate oranges, but at times i couldn't help but think i was drinking just a more medicinal grand marnier.

grade: a-

faccia brutto aperitivo, from new york, united states

found the coolest amari bar in seattle called persephone, known for their wide selection of amari and small sicilian style plates. i was essentially a kid in a candy shop here; they had a huge wall of all the amari available for purchase, along with your standard hipster market staples of high quality jarred anchovies, fresh produce, bags of italian crackers, canned negronis, the likes… i was really brought back to living in new york and i’m not going to lie, i missed the vibe. seattle is extremely behind the times and trying to improve the locals tastes is met with a lot of resistance and passive aggressiveness. i knew this when i made the decision to move back home, it still doesn’t get any easier. persephone is located in a remodeled auto garage, the thick paned windows did a good job of warming up the space at golden hour, a waitress who was tending to a record player was dressed in all linens and a pair of white crocs. our waiter, who was quite flamboyant, informed some guests that his child was named after eve babitz. it’s a pretentious vibe but i kind of have no shame in saying that i love and crave it, largely in part that seattle is so fucking insistant on having no taste and is stuck in a state of arrested development. the 40+ amari, ranging from the classics to harder to find niche labels, were listed out on chalkboard with only three options; neat, on a cube, or with soda. no shitty, outdated lavendar cocktails or retro old fashioneds to be spotted on the premises. finally i was in good hands. i was pretty set on getting an aperitivo versus a darker amaro since it was a hot day. the faccia brutto was thankfully pleasant and appropriate. it’s a bit obvious but my mind went to a garden, tastes of root vegetables, mainly parsnips took the main stage. the flavor was bright; hints of citrus, cherry, tomato, parsley and anise. the fun part about this beverage was really the garden-esque quality that backed it throughout. there were moments where i was reminded of kava, like a sweetened earth soil. the parsnip really did something strange as well the longer i sipped, there was this milky quality to the palate, at points it leaned chemical, like a glue or house paint. 'twas fun.

grade: b+

amaro di angostura, from trinidad and tobago

every week, i usually find myself spending the day in bellingham on one of my days off, treating myself to some good food and a movie at the independent theater. this particular time, i stopped into cabin tavern (a name i find quite endearing) for a drink before going to see theater camp. the bartender looked exactly like jenna lyons - same hair, face, glasses, etc. - a nice humorous moment i got to have with myself. i didn't know what i was going to get when i walked in and the first amaro i spotted was amaro di angostura. the bottle looked a little weird, like something off, off market. i went with it anyway and was very happy with my decision. the nose on it was wonderful although it went away almost entirely after my first sip. strong notes of cola, candied fruit (mainly orange and cherry), almond, and cinnamon. i took my time, inhaling deeper looking for other notes that may have been hidden beneath the surface but to no luck. the taste nicely matches the nose; i gathered booze soaked cherries and horehound at first. upon a deeper sip, i received a lot of clove and cinnamon, even further i got black peppercorn. it’s incredibly refreshing and perfectly balanced; whereas the meletti from my previous review was balanced but quite extreme, this amaro was balanced in a light, crisp way. i could see myself enjoying this at any season during the year, the cola aspect plays into a nice summer day like the one i was enjoying, yet the spices and candied fruit also make it a wonderful option for a cool fall day. the angostura website claims chocolate is one of the main tasting notes, but i wasn’t able to pick up on that. my only complaint as stated before is that the nose went away rather quickly and the taste didn’t stick around too long after. i ended up needing to get a glass of water after a few sips to refresh my palate, my tongue had gone completely blank. there was also a cool effect that happened after i was about halfway done with my beverage where the tip of my tongue went numb, im guessing licorice. eventually, in between sips, the air in my mouth filled up with pungent vegetal notes, a very welcomed, nice surprise. i recently discovered that amaro lattes are a thing, a 1:1 ratio of an amaro and milk of choice that you then steam together or pour over ice. this amaro would simply be beautiful in that - i already know i’ll be buying a bottle and enjoying over many fall and winter evenings.

grade: a-

meletti fernet, from italy

went back to the cocktail lounge near me since it’s the closest thing currently that isn’t a brewery or dive bar. when i went a few weeks ago to try the cynar, i asked the bartender if they had averna since it’s been on my short list to try and he seemingly confirmed. yet this time around when i asked for averna over ice, i was met with a lot of confusion and eventually learned that the bartenders neither knew what it was nor did they carry it. i opted for the meletti fernet instead, to which the bartender later pronounced it “fur-net” when he served our drinks. this place warrants a lot of side eye, note the rustic barrels and choice of glassware in the photo. i do quite appreciate the full comprehensive menu both online and printed that lists out the entire inventory of every spirit and liquor they carry. now knowing this resource exists, i imagine it will be quite an enjoyable experience patronizing this place moving forward. the fernet was assertive as fuck and didn’t let up once during my time engaging with it. extremely mint forward, almost to a point where it landed in a mouthwash, leather cleaner territory. the menthol burned down my throat which kindly woke me up after a long hazy day of working from home. it was a tad syrupy for my liking, akin to peppermint schnapps, but the level of sweetness provided was much needed to match its bitterness. there was a nice aftertaste of chocolate and birch. at one point sweetened pencil shavings came to mind, which reminded me of a time when i worked at this godawful hipster conglomerate restaurant in bushwick, known for their neapolitan style pizzas. i made a vanilla birch baguette one day and the chef de cuisine stupidly waddled up to me and commented that it tasted like pencil shavings. she was annoying, had a terrible personality. the head pastry chef, who did enjoy my creations, shared a mutual bond with me over our dislike of the other chef’s lack of social grace and tact. to reiterate, i found this fernet to be perfectly balanced but still a bit too extreme on both ends of the note profile. just because it wasn’t my favorite, doesn’t mean it wasn't a fantastic sip.

grade: b

amaro nonino, from italy

remarkably unoffensive, medium to light body that didn't have that cloying syrup-esque sweetness i've been fearing i'd encounter as i embark on this journey. i wanted averna but the bar didn't have any which i thought was pretty weird. thats still on my short list of amaros i want to try. i tried this at arthurs in west seattle which was a pretty cute spot, the smoked trout crostini was really delicious but didn't pair well with my drink (my own fault). my friend/date i was with consistently pulls a massive pet peeve of mine which is when people order things that are not in line with the seasonal vibe. she ordered a chai white russian style cocktail on a nice, 75 degree summer day in seattle, we had just gone to beach prior so these kind of things really don't sit well with me. a nice, clear spirit based cocktail or even a beer or cider would've made much more sense. she also does this during the colder months, ordering things with lavendar or elderflower - it's baffling. the tasting notes of nonino were orange, warm spices, caramel and white grapes - almost similar to a grappa.

grade: b

cynar, from italy

i had a friend who worked in perfume once tell me an anecdote about how a friend of his paired noir epices by frédéric malle with cynar because they both have these sweet yet clerical, cold/nighttime profiles. i own noir epices and totally agree. although i don't get to wear it all the time, i simply love it. it asks for a specific type of situation, one i'm not offered very often where i live, think a night at the opera. it's quite masculine and old school but in this sweet, winking and nodding type of way. cynar did not dissapoint and i'm glad it's the first amaro i decided to try. notes of licorice, gentian, warm winter spices, and cola. i noticed that some bars have cynar negronis on the menu which i'd love to try. not the biggest fan of campari. i tried this at a corny cocktail bar in town with a friend and afterwards we drove out to a nature reserve to watch the perseid meteor shower. sadly i didn't get a picture of my drink as i came up with the idea for this website after the fact. please enjoy this pic of me enjoying a coors light while watching the meteors as a stand in. we saw a lot of action that night and had a lot of laughs.

grade: b+