Poor Toms Imbroglio

Appearance: Transparent pale reddish-pink. Like dilute raspberry cordial or a rosé wine. Aroma: Australian. A combination of native botanicals with an iconic Aussie aroma. It smells like a small-town craft shop with bowls of potpourri, drawer liners and incense sticks made from local botanicals scattered about (and also of a certain classic Italian amaro). Flavour and Texture: Sweet citrus arrival with a faintly bitter tang in the background, but the bitterness is balanced by sugar. More citrus flavours, native herb, leaf and root extracts are detectable as it develops (finger lime? Davidsonia plum? lemon myrtle leaf? lemon tea-tree bark and leaf?). The texture is that of dilute syrup with an alcohol briskness that prevents it from being cloying. Imbroglio can be translated as "complication", "entanglement", "quandry" or even "brawl". It's a clever name for an amaro. This is a fresh, very drinkable new-world amaro of the gentle persuasion. Very "feminine" (if the thought police will allow me to say such things nowdays). Soft, very slightly bitter but on the whole approachable and mild. It's nowhere near the intensity of some of the Italian amari and generally much less medicinal in character with little if any mint notes. Is does, however, bear a very faint resemblance to Cynar amaro, which is most interesting as I'm almost positive there is no artichoke extract in this (but I could be wrong). Imagine something like angostura bitters but amplified and sweetened. It's not surprising that this has been produced by Poor Toms Distillery in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Marrickville (not that far as the crow flies from Archie Rose Distillery in Rosebery). They have gained quite the reputation locally for their very fine range of gins, and there is a hint of gin-botanical heritage here. The only downside for me is the colour, which i don't find appealing. It looks like water that has been coloured with red food dye. Maybe I'm wrong and the colour occurs naturally as part of the production process, but it seems artificially pink. In either case I would have preferred it if they had used a drop or two of E150a caramel colouring to make it a more subdued tone, but that’s just my opinion and I’m sure most people would be fine with it as it is. Very pleasant as a neat sip, but not really intended as a digestif or aparitif. This is best enjoyed as the basis for a spritz or as an ingredient in mixed drinks. For example: 30 ml of your favourite bourbon 15 ml of Imbroglio amaro ... in an old-fashioned glass with a large ice-ball and topped up with Coke or ... 60ml Imbroglio amaro 60ml prosecco pour over a tall glass full of ice and top up with sparkling soda water Delicious! At the price this should have a place in every Australian household bar. "Good, almost Very Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)