In this latest review, I was familiar with one of the spirits brands from Montenegro Gruppo: the Amaro Montenegro was the first Amaro I ever had, in a Black Manhattan where the bartender swapped out the sweet vermouth for this dark digestif. Montenegro remains one of my favorite Amari (the plural for Amaro) to this day, and I have now tasted dozens.
Amaro Montenegro Tasting Notes (spirit alone)
I usually keep my Amaro bottles in the refrigerator or freezer once opened, and sometimes before I open it. As I didn’t want the aromas to be muted by the cold, I didn’t chill the Amaro Montenegro for this tasting. The color was burnt honey to near red, almost like a single malt whisky that benefitted from some time in a sherry cask. The aromas reminded me of Jordan almonds, cinnamon sticks, mild coffee, orange marmalade and honey. Having tasted Amaro before, but usually in a cocktail or on the rocks with a slice of orange, I hoped that by sampling it alone I would be able to decipher more specific flavors. On this one I noted smooth long-lasting bitter to sweet flavors followed by some of the same of what I found on the nose: definitely the orange marmalade, honey, and cinnamon, in an extremely long and satisfying finish.
The Montenegroni
Two parts Amaro Montenegro
One part Sweet Vermouth
One part gin
Two drops bitters.
Garnish with orange slice
For this Negroni, the first of two I would make with each spirit, I thought (and rightly so) I would want at least two parts gin, but if I translate a “part” to an “ounce” the whole drink would be five ounces of spirits! So, I made it perfect to taste for me with one ounce Amaro Montenegro, ½ ounce sweet vermouth, two ounces gin and two dashes of Angostura bitters. And it was perfect. Saved the recipe to make again.
From Montenegro Gruppo: Italy’s most iconic amaro, celebrated as the world’s best liqueur. The luxurious spirit truly symbolizes Italian excellence through its top-secret recipe blend created in 1885. (And their suggested cocktail recipe) We will be introducing the M+M Cocktail, which elegantly and uniquely combines Montenegro + mezcal and hailed as the “IYKYK” favorite of bartenders, only the most in-the-know consumers order an M+M.
Signature Cocktail: The M+M
1 part Amaro Montenegro
1 part mezcal
Orange peel
Garnish with an olive
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The second spirit brand from Montenegro Gruppo was new to me: Aperitivo Select reminds me of a popular bitter orange spirit, that I have often in a Spritz, so I was anxious to try this rendition, in their suggestion: the Negroni.
Aperitivo Select Tasting Notes (spirit alone)
Lighter red than a sweet vermouth, and yet a deeper red and less orange than other bitter orange aperitifs, specifically the red color of the Aperitivo Select reminded me of pomegranate. The nose gave off scents of bitter orange, orange peel, lemon zest and cherry liqueur. The taste, on the other hand, was at first bitter, like that of orange peel, but as the flavor lingers on the tongue it changes and you get more sweet orange and a luscious mouth-coating viscosity.
For the Select Aperitivo Negroni:
1 oz Select Aperitivo
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
Orange peel for garnish
I love a good Negroni, and I was happy that both spirits had a recipe for it. I made this one according to the recipe, but the Select Aperitivo and sweet vermouth overtook the gin, so I added another ounce of gin. It was a good Negroni!
From Montenegro Gruppo
The original Italian aperitif that is a proper bitter used for a variety of cocktails. Established in Venice in 1920, the brand offers an authentic and refreshing take on the Negroni and traditional spritz with the Select Americano.
Signature Cocktail: Select Americano
1.5 oz Select Aperitivo
1.5 oz sweet vermouth
4 oz club soda
Garnish with a green olive and an orange slice
Find on Instagram
@amaromontenegro_us @selectaperitivousa @wearesocialus
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
