Averna Amaro

Have yet to try it neat, but worked great in a paper plane cocktail!

So...time to branch out into tasting notes of the things I don't usually drink on their own, I suppose. Granted, I seldom have neat gin (and only a few do I think shine best simply on the rocks), so I guess it's not that big of a departure. Averna is one of the classic Italian amari that, by right, belong on the shelf of anyone who enjoys dabbling in cocktails. It's a fun counterpoint to Campari, which is probably the best known (and most often used) amaro - whereas Campari is vibrantly colored and strikingly bitter, Averna is a rich, syrupy brown and considerably less biting. It's a "bitter" liqueur that hardly seems bitter; I would better describe it as richly herbal. True to its color, there is a roasty espresso and unsweetened dark chocolate timbre here, but while that could descend into ponderous, overly rich territory given the sweeter nature of the liqueur, a certain liveliness is introduced to the palate by the bright, very Mediterranean herbaceousness hiding right beneath the surface. The counterpoint of fresh, spicy herbs to the rich espresso and chocolate notes is delightful. I could enjoy this on its own on the rocks, but it most comes to life for me in a simple cocktail with gin (ideally a London Dry, or at least something similarly fresh and juniper-forward), just a bit heavier on the gin than the Averna....a 1 to .7 or so ratio.