Ramazzotti Amaro

Anise flavored

Very balanced middle-of-the-road amaro with orange and cola notes. Not super bitter, but can still hold up in a Black Manhattan or similar cocktail.

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.

Sweeter, with a bitter finish. Tastes of cola with an added herbal note.