St. George Bruto Americano

Thanks to a friend and a friend, I'm exploring amaro more and more. Aside from that amazing Balcones stout finish whiskey from last week, it's been ages since I've had any whiskey; I've been full speed ahead on this amaro journey. This is Bruto Americano, meaning "ugly American" in Italian. It's crafted from various North American herbs and roots, plus a really unique ingredient: the cochineal bug. Yes, you saw that correctly. The cochineal bug is traditionally used to give a red color. It lives on cactus plants in the desert southwest, is somewhat small and scaly, and is red. So, the gorgeous red wine color of this amaro comes naturally from this insect. I'm not actually disgusted by it; after all, anyone who's had coffee from grounds or peanut butter has consumed a small amount of FDA-approved crushed insects. So, drinking this straight is woody, herbal, and bitter. Unlike the Italian amaro, where I just added ice, this needs to be mixed with something else, unless you enjoy woody/herbal/bitter, of course. I used a 1-to-1 mix of fresh orange juice, added this amaro, and topped it with ice. The juice adds sweetness, but it's still nicely balanced with the woody, bitter flavor. And the color – wow – red from the bugs combined with orange looks almost like a sunrise. At around $25, it's highly recommended, especially if you experiment with juices.

Subtly bitter and mildly sweet, this is a highly sippable aperitif. In some ways it evokes sweet vermouth combined with a sauerkraut liqueur; the flavor is vibrant, intensely herbal, and well-balanced. We've enjoyed a small glass before dinner, but it also serves as an excellent addition to your cocktail collection, suitable for traditionally robust drinks like the Negroni, Americano, and Boulevardier. Another success from St. George.

Less intense and slightly less bitter than Campari (more akin to Contratto Bitter), featuring a crisp, clean flavor of gentian and herbs, without being overly sweet. It possesses a beautiful deep rose hue, medium body, and mouthfeel. Use it in cocktails instead of Campari when you desire a milder option that still retains a gentian kick. The alcohol content is 24%. St. George Spirits is truly innovative, consistently producing high-quality products across their range.

This is much more herbal and less bitter than Campari. It's pretty good, but it alters the character of a Negroni too much for my personal preference. I haven't tried it this way yet, but I'm confident it would make an excellent spritz.

I tried it again, this time in a spritz, and it just doesn't appeal to me. It has a mild herbal character. It's not terrible by any means, but it's too subdued for my palate as an amaro or aperitivo.

Earthy, with ginger notes. Very bitter, notes of orange pith, quite acidic. Ginger-like spice. So very bitter.