Turin at dusk smells of bitter orange, gentian and the endless aperitivo hour along the cafés of Via Po. Strucchi Bitter Rosso comes straight out of that scene. The bottle carries the name of an oenologist who wrote the book on vermouth in 1907 – and never knew what he'd set in motion.
The Expert's Description
Strucchi Bitter Rosso is an Italian Bitter from Piedmont, bottled at 27% and built around nine botanicals. It was created as the natural partner to Strucchi Vermouth Rosso, so the two can meet in a Milano-Torino, though it holds its own just as well over ice or in a Negroni.
The name comes from Arnaldo Strucchi, a Piedmontese oenologist who published Il Vermouth di Torino in 1907 and helped set the standard for how a proper Vermouth di Torino should be made. More than a hundred years later, entrepreneur Paolo Dalla Mora dug the story back up and built a whole range around it – three vermouths and this bitter, all rooted firmly in early-1900s Turin aperitivo culture.
The botanicals list includes juniper and gentian among others, and that combination gives the bitter its spiced backbone. Rhubarb root and cinchona bark add the depth, while wormwood and bitter orange keep it firmly on the herbal track from nose to palate.
The label draws on the same history. Illustrator Riccardo Guasco drew the whole Strucchi range as Art Deco figures reinterpreting icons of the 1920s – Greta Garbo on the Bianco, Mata Hari on the Rosso vermouth, Josephine Baker on the Dry. Bitter Rosso got Rodolfo Valentino, the actor who defined the leading man of silent film.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Intense and a little sharp at first – wormwood and bitter orange peel push forward, before a light sweetness from rhubarb root shows up behind them.
Palate
Rhubarb root, gentian and cinchona bark take over on the palate, and the bitterness is pronounced but never harsh. There's a full, almost syrupy body that keeps the whole thing from turning too dry.
Finish
The finish stretches out long, herbal and dry, with a late touch of aloe and germander.
Specifications
Name: Strucchi Bitter Rosso
Distillery: Strucchi
Region/Country: Piedmont, Italy
Type: Italian Bitter
ABV: 27%
Size: 70 CL
Serving suggestion: In a Milano-Torino, Negroni or Americano, or simply over ice with a slice of orange
Flavour Profile
Bitter · Herbal · Citrus · Spiced · Ruby Red
Did You Know?
Strucchi won the Barawards Innovation prize just six months after launch in 2023, and the range has since made its way into bars in the UK and Switzerland.
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