Amaro Montenegro

Rating: 14/23 I've heard good things about this one, but I'm an amaro novice and my understanding is that it's a loose category. Seems like an adventure awaits! N: Hmm, there's a sweet menthol scent with soap and this enticing floral fragrance that I'm having trouble placing. It's very sweet, but also has some bitter herbal richness and a clean minerality. I'm interested, but a little nervous. P: Very sweet! it goes through the floral flavor with hints of herbal spices before settling into the soap and bitterness. Surprisingly, despite that description, it's pretty tasty! I get minerality up front with the sweetness and carrying into the middle. The burst of floral flavor is very engaging and it ties everything together. I get mint in there too, but it's nowhere near Fernet Branca in its austerity. The soapy bitterness builds throughout, but I don't find it to be overwhelming. This is a bit funky and challenging and I can't say that I love the soap or know what to do with it, but I like how clean the flavor is. F: Bitterness. There are bits of mint, soap, and miscellaneous herbs. Faint, sweet floral wafts come in from time to time. It's a bit bitter, but it's a good counterpoint to the sweetness. - Conclusion - This is an interesting and tasty liqueur. I'm not sure how I feel about it overall considering the soap flavor and my dearth of ideas for what to do with it, but I like it overall. Amero Montenegro really strikes me as a more refined Jägermeister. It's sort of like how Wild Turkey 101 is aggressive and bold, but then Russell's Reserve 10 is more subdued and stately. So this is at least a 12, but I had much higher expectations that that considering all of the praise it has received. I'm considering up to a 17, but that soapy flavor is proving to be a real challenge and I'm not sure what to do with this aside from drink it neat. I feel like I might like Fernet Branca a bit better. I was thinking more like a 12 to 16 for this, which puts a 14 in the middle. I gave Fernet-Branca a 15. Done - this is a 14 (most unfortunately). OK, but here are some last attempts to find something to do with this. Mixed with Pure Scot Virgin Oak - quite good actually! Adds some nice sweetness and complexity, making for an interesting cocktail. Bourbon - pretty dicey. Rye - if it's a sweet rye, this can add some nice complexity for a cocktail. It was especially good for killing my bottle of Templeton 4. Rum - Something like Appleton Estate 12 goes well with this - but the Appleton Estate 12 functions best as a small addition to a glass of this neat (surprisingly). A very different way to go is to mix this with Plantation Xaymaca to create a super funky cocktail. Milder and subtler rums like Plantation 20th Anniversary cmostly get squashed. Gin - this seemed very hard to balance. Though the negroni is an acquired taste in my book, so maybe sufficient advertising would make the two taste better together (optionally with some amount of dry or rosso vermouth - both of which I tried). There might be a good cocktail with the right gin and rosso vermouth hiding here, but it won't be similar to a negroni. Peated whisk(e)y - this was largely awful. Ardbeg An Oa fit in pretty well. That one demands more investigation, but the rest should be avoided at all costs. Tequila - shockingly, this is this best combination I've found so far. Tequila is funky and often minty. I usually expect it to be sweeter than it is (because shouldn't agave be super sweet?). Amaro Montenegro adds those characteristics. This warrants more investigation. The thing that gives me the most hope is that many spirits really dull that soapiness. I think that cocktails deserve further investigation, but for the time being I am sticking with a 14 based on my neat pour and initial attempts to replace other amari in cocktails.

Appearance: Transparent deep amber like well-brewed black tea. Aroma: Orange peel, mandarin peel, sherbet lemon, triple sec, cardamom, cumin, licorice, allspice and a micro-hint of anise. The nose is a precise balancing act between citrus (mainly warm orange) on the one hand and a potpourri of herbs and spices on the other. Flavour & Texture: Initially sweet with an entry-note of orange liqueur, Earl Grey tea and rosewater. Herbal notes become apparent after a moment and the sweetness subsides just a little as it moves to the back of the palate, with soothing root and bark extracts (licorice, cassia, sweet cinnamon) gaining prominence. As you swallow, and on the late palate and aftertaste, a pleasantly soft bitterness develops with distinct petit wormwood and gentian. The texture is rich, but also curiously blithe and effortless. Montenegro is poised and complex, with a sweet character that is never cloying (but can be just a little syrupy) and a warm spicy personality that never drifts into harshness. There is a sense of “completeness” as it has aspects that are liqueur-like and others that are more reminiscent of aromatic bitters. The palate is complex but not overbearing and there is a lightness of touch throughout. It is also delightful as a cooler on a hot day. Try Montenegro neat over lots of crushed ice or to make a long drink just add soda water … or tonic … or dry ginger ale … or … anything, really. It is versatile and works as an extra seasoning or secret ingredient in almost any cocktail. Try substituting it, wholly or in part, for vermouth in your next Manhattan, negroni or Americano. And with that introduction, for your delectation, I present a cocktail that two friends and I came up with just last week that uses Montenegro to good effect. It was inspired by the Boulevardier (a close cousin of the negroni) which was invented by Erskine Gwynne in the 1920s. Mrs Cascode compared it to a steam locomotive - smoky, powerful, sexy and polished. So to keep the Parisian theme we named it: The Gare du Nord 45 ml mild smoky whisky (we used Rock Oyster, but any smoky blend would do) 30 ml Campari 30 ml Dolin rouge 5-10 ml Amaro Montenegro (to taste) Stir with ice in a mixing glass until chilled, then strain into a glass over fresh ice. Voilà. If you are not already familiar with Montenegro you should obtain a bottle and try it out. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

What conventionally bitter things do you enjoy? I'm a dark chocolate fiend with an affinity for excellent espresso. Amaro translates to "bitter" in Italian. Amaro Montenegro is the result of the boiling, maceration and distillation of 40 botanicals of various herbs, spices, roots, fruits and seeds. These unique extracts are further blended with alcohol, sugar and water along with a micro distillation called premio. Appropriately, Amaro Montenegro's bottle is crafted to resemble an alchemist's potion vial.  The nose is sweet, earthy and medicinal with dark honey, anise and orange rind. A black tea and eucalyptus baseline complete with lemon wheel comes through after it sits.  Amaro Montenegro enters the mouth in a coating, even-keel way. Its flavour begins with a balanced nose-like profile with added nutmeg and clove. It swiftly spins around with "a reveal and a wink" of slight licorice bitterness. It's enough to intrigue you, but not too much that you pull back. The herbal bitterness stays on your tongue for a while and it's complemented by the residual sweetness on your lips where your sip began. This tastes like a liqueur that should have some health benefits for me. At the very least, I'm happy to tell myself just that. I admire that Amaro Montenegro claims a consistent process of production since 1885. Its mellow, bitter and sweet flavour profile is something I would happily enjoy as a digestif after a meal. 8/10

My new thing when going to an Italian restaurant is to order an Amaro after dinner in place of the traditional coffee and cake. I grew up in an Italian family and I never understood why they would drink coffee after dinner. It’s time to sleep after dinner. Enter the after dinner dram. At the time I tried this, it was a new category for me. Lot of folks said this was a good place to start, and if only ever had Monte in cocktails (where admittedly, it does shine). Neat, I was less impressed. Some nice notes of cocoa and hazelnut, but the bitterness seemed to overpower those flavors a tad too much while also coming across watery. I’m all ears for good cocktail recipes using this bottle, but I think it may not be a good after dinner sipper. I rather enjoyed Cynar for that role, but there’s also a nice Limoncello or Amaretto for that purpose too. Cheers!

N: Orange assault on the nose, with numerous floral, possibly herbal notes fighting the citrus for attention P: Still citrus, but floral and herbal notes start to gain control with bitterness settling in F: Sweet, but bitter and moderately dry. Taste of floral note reminiscent of rose/lavender merried with the various oranges notes linger. Clearly a great Amaro to sub for vermouths in any whiskey drink. Great straight as digestif. Would use as a mid/high cocktail Amaro.

EXPLORATION: This seeker is young in the ways of amaro, but this was balanced, sublime. EXHORTATION: Poets and seasoned embibers have long spake a truth: that the taste of a liquor is more than just what’s in the bottle. It’s also the experience. And who you share it with. Cheers to Zachary at Anvil in Houston. Your kindness and wisdom will be long remembered. Also, David Bowie was playing. Seek on, my friends. And when you can, seek with a friend.