Appearance (neat): An almost luminous orange colour. Appearance (diluted): An almost luminous orange colour (LOL). Aroma (neat): Dusty, musky orange. Like orange liqueur with a patina of sandalwood and earthy spice aromas. Various citrus zests in the background. Aroma (with prosecco): Yeasty white wine or champagne. The citrus aromas are mostly covered, although a faint zephyr escapes. Flavour (neat): Sweet citrus in the arrival transitioning to very mildly bitter citrus in the aftertaste, but with sweet notes still prevailing. It's almost (but not quite) enjoyable just by itself on the rocks. Flavour (with prosecco): The classic recipe calls for dry prosecco in a 1:1 ratio with a splash of soda water. In this form you get a very well balanced sweet/bitter drink that is long, cooling and shows complexity from the citrus and grape components. A genuine classic that is unfortunately almost passé now after a brief flirtation from English-speaking palates. How fickle we are, but then again maybe this estimable cooler only ever realizes its true stature when sipped in its classic form among restful surroundings on a hot late afternoon in Italy. As evening draws nigh and the first stars appear, order another, together with a shot of Lucano or Averna - hurl the amaro into the long drink with abandon, and settle down to an hour or two of genteel inebriation. If there is a good house band, so much the better. Although the sweet/bitter balance of the classic form with Italian prosecco is magnificent, for variation try it with rosé or blush sparkling wines from your own region. In Australia I'd suggest anything sparkling from De Bortoli, Wolf Blass or Brown Brothers (among scores of others). In the US I'm sure there is a veritable army of wonderful Californian wines that would be excellent with this aperitivo. If you have sweet tooth try moscato, sparkling syrah or even add sweet soft drinks. Like Pimm's the sky is the limit with this as a base for long drinks, but don't be surprised if after some weeks of experimentation you gravitate back to the basic dry prosecco form. Simplicity *is* the soul of elegance, after all. At the very reasonable asking price, a bottle of this in the bar is a no-brainer, particularly in summer. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)