An old apothecary bottle, a secret family recipe and half a century of refinement lie behind this bitter. Orange peel, wormwood and gentian root meet a distillate that has itself spent years in cask before it all comes together.
Expert's description
Amaro Bitter Orange Nonino is an Italian amaro made from a herbal infusion enriched with Nonino's own grape distillate UE, cask-aged for at least 12 months and bottled at 35% ABV.
The recipe dates back to 1933, when Antonio Nonino, third generation of the family's distillers, created "Amaro Carnia" with grappa as its base and herbs from the mountains of Friuli. Silvia Nonino, Antonio's wife and the family's first female master distiller, further developed the recipe in the 1940s with botanical ingredients from distant regions and named it "Amaro del Friuli". In 1992, third-generation sisters Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta Nonino replaced the grappa in the recipe with the family's cask-aged grape distillate UE, and the amaro took on its current name: Amaro Nonino Quintessentia.
The base is UE, Nonino's own grape distillate, distilled using the same artisanal method as the house's grappa and aged for at least 12 months in casks of Nevers, Limousin and ex-sherry oak. The family's secret herbal infusion is then added, including orange peel, gentian root, wormwood, galangal root, cassia bark and saffron. The bottle is shaped like an old apothecary bottle, a nod to the amaro's origins as a medicinal remedy.
Tasting notes
Nose
Orange peel and bitter orange marmalade, spiced with thyme and a touch of mint, plus an exotic hint of mango.
Taste
On the palate, sweetness and bitterness meet in fine balance, with clear pepper and liquorice, carried by the warmth of the cask-aged grape distillate.
Finish
The finish is long, with cocoa and a final, dry bitterness that rounds off the experience.
Specifications
Name: Amaro Bitter Orange Nonino
Distillery: Nonino
Region/Country: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
Type: Italian Amaro
ABV: 35%
Size: 70 cl
Distillation method: 100 percent distilled using an artisanal method in copper stills
Serving suggestion: On the rocks with an orange slice, or in the Paper Plane cocktail
Flavour profile
Bitter orange · Thyme · Pepper · Liquorice · Cocoa
Did you know?
The cocktail "Paper Plane", created by bartender Sam Ross in New York in 2007 with this amaro as one of four equal parts, was named a modern classic by the New York Times in 2016.
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