Averna Amaro

Rating: 20/23 Nose: Wow, this has a complex, interesting, and balanced aroma. It's sweet, but not excessively so. I pick up orange as the primary fruit, but it's blended with other notes I'm finding hard to place. The fruit transitions to a floral quality, then mint, developing into a somewhat moderately bitter potpourri. There's a hint of cola, but it's not unpleasant. Oddly, a touch of meat is present, suggesting youthful alcohol. I also detect a mustiness throughout. Palate: Sweet with many well-integrated flavors and a bitter undertone that unifies everything. Chocolate appears immediately. Cola is definitely there, but thankfully without the typical metallic taste. There's a bit of bitter orange peel, but more of a floral cherry in the fruit profile. The flavors are exceptionally well-integrated. Some mild dark roast coffee is present with a creaminess, as if milk was added. Brown sugar also contributes to the sweetness. There's a distinct bitter herbal character and hints of ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon are mixed in. The flavors have good depth and emerge over the course of a sip. A light layer of mustiness helps to meld the flavors. It took me a while to identify, but it's the same mustiness found in Frangelico. However, it's mostly pleasant here. A significant reason for this is the considerably reduced amount of that mustiness. Perhaps mustiness is never truly good, but it's less intrusive here. Finish: Chocolate, coffee, and a lightly floral cherry that verges on being excessively sweet. Some lingering ginger and mustiness remain. Besides the cherry being a bit prominent, it's still very well balanced and integrated. - Conclusion - I'm genuinely surprised by how good this is. This is the first amaro I believe I would enjoy drinking neat – or perhaps on ice. It's delightful on its own – I'm considering a 19 or 20. I could settle for an 18, though. Now I need to discover cocktails where it excels. Indeed, this is fantastic in a Black Manhattan with Pikesville or Old Forester Rye. An important point is that the cocktail is superb even without added Angostura bitters. The Angostura does make it taste more like a traditional cocktail, in that it adds an Angostura flavor, but it doesn't necessarily improve the taste. This simply creates such excellent cocktails already! When mixed with Old Forester, it particularly tastes like candy. However, it's candy with subtle complexity. It's delicious. Peychaud's bitters, even when used in a slightly larger amount, help to balance this cocktail better than Angostura. Perhaps I'm just not as familiar with Peychaud's, but its less aggressive nature seems more suitable here. Honestly, having experienced this in cocktails (or variations thereof) and found it so remarkable, it's difficult for me not to award it at least a 20. This is a truly exceptional liqueur. It's amazing on its own and fantastic in cocktails – nothing else has achieved so much in both areas before. Perhaps Carpano Formula Antica? I don't really think so, though. It's close, but I believe this surpasses it. I'm now thinking of a 20 as the minimum score for this. It could be a 21 or even a 22. I'm not entirely convinced about a 23, but this is the closest I've ever come with a liqueur. I will revisit this at some point, but for now, it's a 20. I tried a Black Manhattan with Maker's Mark Cask Strength 20-04 (15/23) and found it didn't work as well. I believe the cocktail is best with rye. So, it's useful to know: this doesn't perform miracles in every situation. Still, I had anticipated that a bourbon might be similar enough to pair well. Though perhaps this is a case where the pairing itself is fine, but the bourbon's quality is too low. The cocktail (with Angostura) is superior to the Maker's, but not as good as Averna. Switching to Booker's Shiny Barrel (19/23) (with Angostura), the Averna Black Manhattan still showed a bit too much Angostura, but that's a pleasant flavor. There's still ample richness from the Booker's and sweetness from the Averna. The bourbon's complexity is reduced here, but the overall complexity is enhanced. This is a good cocktail that successfully balanced the qualities of the Averna with those of the Booker's. I've been considering this for some time and have debated whether it should be a 19 or a 20, while also questioning if it might deserve a higher score. My current conclusion is that I have a mostly full bottle, and this appears to be a 20 at this moment. Alright, when preparing a full-sized cocktail with ice, this seems less impressive. I primarily taste the Old Forester Rye, and the Angostura helps to fill the voids left by the melted ice. Nevertheless, there's balance and complexity present. It's tasty. I think I'm settled on a 20 here.

Appearance: It's an opaque dark brown, nearly black, with red edges visible when held to a strong light. The liquid leaves thick, slow-moving amber trails. Aroma: Orange juice, orange zest, cola, and a subtle hint of spearmint. Taste and Texture: It begins sweet with herbal notes mingling with orange, licorice root, chicory, and pomegranate juice. In the mid-palate, a touch of spicy bitterness emerges with mild anise, juniper, and wormwood notes, but this is balanced by sweet orange and chocolate flavors. The finish is warm, smooth, and refreshing, returning to full sweetness with orange and cola as the final notes. The texture is full. This amaro has an interesting and somewhat unconventional profile. Many amari start sweet and then transition to bitterness of varying degrees. Averna, however, is bitter from the first sip, but it's a mild, gentle bitterness that never becomes overpowering. This characteristic comes from the juice and zest of the myrtle-leaved orange tree fruit, a key ingredient in this amaro. You might recognize this flavor from the popular Italian soft drink, chinotto, which is often used in amari, either alone or combined with sweet orange juice and zest. Averna has a satisfying completeness, perfectly capturing the essence of "dark citrus." It's versatile and can be enjoyed neat, over ice with an orange peel twist, or as a long drink with soda or tonic water. It can also substitute for orange bitters in cocktails, adding complexity and sweetness along with the expected bitter orange note, and when used skillfully, it can dramatically enhance a mixed drink. “Very Good”: 86/100 (4 stars)

So, I suppose it's time to explore tasting notes for beverages I don't typically consume straight. It's true that I rarely drink gin neat (and I believe only a few types are best enjoyed simply on the rocks), so this isn't a huge departure. Averna is a classic Italian amaro that rightly deserves a spot on the shelf of anyone who likes to experiment with cocktails. It provides an interesting contrast to Campari, which is likely the most recognized (and most frequently used) amaro. While Campari is vividly colored and distinctly bitter, Averna is a rich, syrupy brown and considerably milder. It's labeled a "bitter" liqueur, yet it barely tastes bitter; I'd more accurately call it richly herbal. True to its appearance, it has a roasted espresso and unsweetened dark chocolate character, but rather than becoming heavy and overly rich given the liqueur's inherent sweetness, a certain vibrancy is brought to the palate by the bright, distinctly Mediterranean herbaceousness found just below the surface. The combination of fresh, spicy herbs with the rich espresso and chocolate notes is delightful. I could enjoy this on its own over ice, but it truly shines for me in a simple cocktail with gin (preferably a London Dry, or something similarly fresh and juniper-forward), using a bit more gin than Averna – perhaps a 1 to.7 ratio.

This is my second favorite amaro among the five I sampled today. I wouldn't say it's significantly better than Cynar, and it's quite comparable, but I preferred this one because it has a bit more bitterness, which is what I seek in an amaro. Averna is bottled at 64 proof (though I've heard it can be as low as 58 proof), putting it in the range I prefer for amari. The aroma starts with citrus peel and a touch of vanilla, perhaps some cola. The palate balances the sweetness and syrupy texture with adequate bitterness, along with some licorice notes. The finish isn't very long, but there's minimal burn, and you still detect the sweetness as it goes down. Averna is likely one of the more common amari available; it's found in most bars and is a frequent ingredient in cocktail recipes when an amaro is called for. Considering the price, it offers considerable value. I wouldn't call it the best amaro for sipping on its own; it's decent, but when combined with its use in cocktails, where it can add depth and sweetness along with a hint of bitterness without overpowering the drink, it's a valuable addition. If you intend to drink it straight, I'd rate it around 3.5, maybe 3.75, but for its value and versatility in cocktails, I'll give it a 4.

I'm exploring cocktail recipes and purchased this to make Black Manhattans. This amaro is rich, syrupy, and possesses many complex herbal flavors. One person described it as tasting like thick Coke syrup, and I concur. My preferred Manhattan recipe uses 1 part sweet vermouth, 2 parts rye whiskey, and a few dashes of Angostura bitters; it's fruity and sweet with some spice from the rye. The Black Manhattan substitutes the amaro for the vermouth. It's richer, nuttier, and more complex. I also add orange bitters to enhance the amaro's orange notes. While I like it, I still prefer a traditional Manhattan as my usual choice. If you're interested in Black Manhattans, try one at a bar before buying a bottle. Enjoy!

Served neat at room temperature. It presents a deep, syrupy brown color. The aroma is tangy and crisp, offering notes of cola, mint, orange, fennel, and chocolate, along with bergamot. Herbal and barrel characteristics suggest American rye whiskey. It is exceedingly sweet. Consistent with the aroma, the initial taste is of orange, lemon, and cola, followed by molasses, coffee beans, and dark chocolate. Hints of gentian, oregano, and root beer are present. The sweetness, herbaceous chocolate, and notes of clove/allspice create a lasting finish. I'm new to amaro, but I enjoy this. It's undeniably a sugar bomb that coats the mouth, but I could see myself sipping it occasionally, as the fruit, root, herb, and spice elements keep it engaging enough. It might be even better diluted over ice. It's a powerful ingredient for cocktails.