When it comes to amaro, the clue is in the name: the word for the herbal Italian liqueur literally translates as ‘bitter’. Not to be confused with mini bottles of cocktail bitters (such as those made by Angostura, where you’d only ever want to add a dash to season your drink), these potable bitters are best enjoyed as a more substantial component in a cocktail, topped with soda or simply poured over ice.
Amaro has been drunk for centuries, and more traditionally enjoyed as a digestivo in Italy. Some of the best are household names – especially since the cocktail revival has seen the style popularised; think Campari, Aperol and Fernet Branca. The liqueur is made through the sweetening and flavouring of a base spirit and you can expect something of a bitter edge. The resulting aromas of the drink can range from citrus and spice through to roots and bark in darker examples of the liqueur.
This year’s IWSC saw a range tasted and rated by judges, with Distilleria Sibona’s Amaro winning a Gold medal and an impressive 98 points for its ‘bittersweet complexity’ complete with aromas of cola and a chocolately flavour profile.
Fellow Gold medal winner Tumusso Amaro impressed with refined bitterness and integrated sweetness – making it an ideal digestif.
Find even more diverse digestives and cocktail cupboard must-haves in this list of six of the best amaros from Italy, all medal winners at this year’s IWSC.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE SPIRITS?
We run a tightly structured, rigorous spirits tasting process. That means that each spirit sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC spirit judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the drinks industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
HOW DO WE SCORE THESE SPIRITS?
Only the best spirits sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, spirits have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
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Five award-winning amaros to try in 2023
Distilleria Sibona, Amaro
Ca del Conte Agrihouse di F.V., Tumusso Amaro
Distillerie Peroni Maddalena, Arnaldo Amaro
Romeo Vini di Romeo Antonino and C. Sas, Amaro Amaranca
Massimo Canale, Almaree Spirit Of Capri Amaro
