There's something about an old Carpano label that brings back the whole story of Turin's coffee houses and stockbrokers. The dark red bottle with the wrapped-around label and the old gold seal isn't just a drink — it's a piece of Italian bar history from the days when you ordered your vermouth with hand signals.
Expert Description
Punt e Mes is a Vermouth Amaro from Carpano in Turin made from white wine infused with herbs and cinchona bark, with an alcohol content of 16.5%.
This bottle isn't the current version you'll find on any liquor store shelf. The label with its golden seal "Esportato in 82 Stati" and the text "Fondata in Torino nel 1786" belongs to an older bottling from when the Carpano family itself still ran production, before the brand was acquired by Fratelli Branca of Milan in 2001. The 1 liter format and the embossed detailing on the label make it a genuine find for anyone who collects old Italian spirits bottles rather than simply drinking from them.
The story behind the recipe itself dates back to 1870, when a stockbroker at Carpano's bar in Turin asked for his usual vermouth with an extra "half measure" of bitter cinchona bark added — in the local dialect, "punt e mes", a point and a half. The name stuck, and the recipe with over 40 herbs and spices, including orange peel and cinchona bark, remains largely unchanged today.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Herbaceous and lightly bitter, with a touch of orange peel, dried spices and a hint of caramel from the sweet white wine base.
Palate
Sweetness arrives first, quickly followed by the characteristic bitterness of cinchona bark. Notes of dark chocolate, cloves and ripe dark berries emerge along the way.
Finish
Long and bittersweet, with a final touch of orange peel and a dry, herbaceous close.
Serving & Food Pairing
Punt e Mes is traditionally served ice cold — the label itself carries the instruction "Si beve freddo". Serve it over ice with a slice of orange, or use it as the base in a Negroni or Americano. For food, it pairs well with dark chocolate, aged cheeses or salted nuts, where the bitterness ties the flavours together.
Specifications
Name: Punt e Mes
Producer: Carpano
Region/Country: Turin, Italy
Vintage: Non-vintage (NV)
ABV: 16.5%
Size: 100 CL
Sugar Content: 230 grams per liter
Serving Temperature: Cold, preferably over ice
Decanting Recommended: No
Glass Type: 2 x Tumbler glass included
Flavour Profile
Bitter · Herbaceous · Sweet · Spiced · Citrus
Investment Potential
Medium. This older 1 liter bottling with the original Carpano family label from before the 2001 Fratelli Branca acquisition is no longer produced in this form, and large-format bottles of historic Italian spirits brands are regularly sought after by collectors.
Did You Know?
The gold seal on the bottle reading "Esportato in 82 Stati" reveals that at the time, Carpano was exporting its vermouth to 82 countries — one of the early signs that the small bar in Turin had long since grown into a global name.
