Tastes

I have always been surprised at how few amaro reviews there are on this website, so I decided to do a tasting of five of the more popular one's (Averna, Cynar, Meletti, Nardini & Ramazzotti) that I have a feeling most people can get their hands on. I will probably try to do another round of these tastings in the future, but anyway onto the review starting with my least favorite. Amaro Meletti finished as my least favorite of the five I tried. I'm not saying it's awful, far from it, it's just not that great neat. It is the cheapest though of the five I tried, so there is definitely value in there, especially if you plan to use it in cocktails. The nose is probably it's biggest downfall, as I get cough syrup and maybe some faint mint. The first sip has a touch of bitterness, but it's definitely sweet, with chocolate and cinnamon. There is a decent burn on the way down which wouldn't be that big of a deal, but when the others that are in the 64 proof range don't have anything near the burn, it's a bit disappointing. The finish also has some toffee and spice, but the burn sort of gets in the way. Amaro Meletti may be my least favorite of the five, but it has its uses, especially in cocktails. It may not have the best start or finish, but the taste is pretty decent, if not a touch sweet. I wouldn't rush out to get this, but if you were offered it as an aperitif or as an after dinner drink, you could do worse. It's actually pretty similar to the next one on the list and I gave it the same score, it's just this one is more for the value, while the other is a touch better neat.

It was a toss-up between this and Meletti for which amari I preferred the least in my tasting, but this one edged it out because it's just a touch less sweet and tastes better neat. On the nose you get mint, cloves and lemon peel. The palate continues the citrus, with a little orange peel and only a touch of bitterness. However, it is pretty sweet and pretty syrupy which holds it back in my opinion. The finish is actually pretty long, with some chocolate and root beer notes. Ramazzotti is relatively popular and probably can be found in a well stocked bar, but I wouldn't say it's essential and it's not unique enough to warrant buying this over some of the other amaro out there. I'm not saying it's bad, because it's pretty good. It kind of reminds me of a soda, maybe a mix between Coca Cola and root beer. I have used it in cocktails, but not as often as some others, probably on par with Meletti. Ramazzotti is a bit more expensive than Meletti, but only by a few bucks, and is a touch better neat. It goes down smooth, is inoffensive and gets the job done. It has the same score as Meletti, but that's only because it was so hard to differentiate the two and Meletti is a touch cheaper so you could say it has a bit more value. At the end of the day though, if I had to choose between the two, I would go with Ramazzotti.

My third favorite amaro of the night, Cynar is known for the artichoke on the bottle. I'm not sure if that scares people away, but if you give it a try you will be pleasantly surprised and no, it doesn't taste like artichoke, it's just one of the thirteen botanicals used to make it. Cynar is bottled at 33 proof, although they do offer a 70 proof bottle nowadays, but I haven't gotten to try that yet. 33 proof is a bit low for me when it comes to drinking it neat, since it comes off as too sweet, but it's not terrible. The nose features oak and lemon peel. On the first sip you may wonder if this is even an amaro, there is almost no bitterness. It's sweet, but not cloyingly so, with some spice, toffee and caramel. The finish lasts a decent while, with absolutely no burn, but it is still a bit too sweet. For being so low in proof I expected worse, but it held its own and doesn't come off as syrupy or too sweet, even when put up against Meletti and Ramazzotti. Cynar definitely makes a solid low ABV drink, however, I find it more useful in cocktails than I do just drinking it on it's own. It doesn't have the backbone to stand up to other amari, but as a cocktail ingredient you can make a lot of unique drinks with it. So I would say, if you plan to drink this neat, consider others, but if you plan to make some cocktails or simple aperitif drinks, then this would be a solid choice.

My second favorite amaro out of the five that I tried today. I wouldn't say it's head and shoulders above Cynar and really it's pretty close to a toss up, but I went with this one because it has a bit more bitterness which is what I want from an amaro. Averna is bottled at 64 proof (although I hear it can vary to as low as 58 proof), so right around the sweet spot for where I like my amari. The nose starts with citrus peel and a bit of vanilla, maybe some cola thrown in there. The palate balances the sweetness and the syrupy feel with just enough bitterness, as well as some licorice notes. The finish doesn't last too long, but there is little in the way of burn and you still get that sweetness on the way down. Averna is probably one of the more common amari that you can find, it's in most bars and there are a lot of cocktail recipes that call for it when they are asking for an amaro. For the cost, it has a lot of value. I wouldn't say it's the best sipping amaro out there, it's solid, but combined with it's use in cocktails where it can provide some richness and sweetness, along with a little bitterness and it won't overpower the drink, it's well worth having around. If you plan to drink this by itself, I would say it's more like a 3.5, maybe a 3.75, but for the value and it's use in cocktails, I'll give a 4.

Out of the five I tried, this was by far my favorite amaro. Amaro Nardini may not be the first amaro that comes to mind and its really not featured in many drinks, but I think it is one of the best sipping amari out there. Amaro Nardini is bottled at 62 proof, which is a nice middle ground where it's not too sweet but not too strong. The nose kind of reminds me of an old aged rum, with vanilla and oak. The palate is where it shines, the bitterness hits first, but it's not overpowering and then it's followed by mint and anise. The finish is almost as good, with a slight burn, but some nice spice, chocolate and herbal notes. Amaro Nardini is a hidden gem in my opinion. You may not see it used very often in cocktail recipes, but as an aperitivo or after dinner drink this one is hard to beat. The price may be a bit high in comparison to some other amaro, but it's definitely worth it in my opinion.