Amaro Montenegro

EXPLORATION: This seeker is young in the ways of amaro, but this was balanced, sublime. EXHORTATION: Poets and seasoned embibers have long spake a truth: that the taste of a liquor is more than just what’s in the bottle. It’s also the experience. And who you share it with. Cheers to Zachary at Anvil in Houston. Your kindness and wisdom will be long remembered. Also, David Bowie was playing. Seek on, my friends. And when you can, seek with a friend.

What conventionally bitter things do you enjoy? I'm a dark chocolate fiend with an affinity for excellent espresso. Amaro translates to "bitter" in Italian. Amaro Montenegro is the result of the boiling, maceration and distillation of 40 botanicals of various herbs, spices, roots, fruits and seeds. These unique extracts are further blended with alcohol, sugar and water along with a micro distillation called premio. Appropriately, Amaro Montenegro's bottle is crafted to resemble an alchemist's potion vial.  The nose is sweet, earthy and medicinal with dark honey, anise and orange rind. A black tea and eucalyptus baseline complete with lemon wheel comes through after it sits.  Amaro Montenegro enters the mouth in a coating, even-keel way. Its flavour begins with a balanced nose-like profile with added nutmeg and clove. It swiftly spins around with "a reveal and a wink" of slight licorice bitterness. It's enough to intrigue you, but not too much that you pull back. The herbal bitterness stays on your tongue for a while and it's complemented by the residual sweetness on your lips where your sip began. This tastes like a liqueur that should have some health benefits for me. At the very least, I'm happy to tell myself just that. I admire that Amaro Montenegro claims a consistent process of production since 1885. Its mellow, bitter and sweet flavour profile is something I would happily enjoy as a digestif after a meal. 8/10

Like herbal cough syrup ugh I love this drink so much

Lightly sweet, with floral and citrus notes and mild bitterness