Cappelletti Aperitivo Americano Rosso

Appearance: Bright ruby red. Aroma: Bittersweet herbal aromas that are reminiscent of an alpine amaro. Gentian, aged red wine, mountain herbs, deep citrus zest aromas. Complex and interesting. Flavour and Texture: Sweet but full-bodied with herbal bitterness to add balance. Very reserved citrus flavours. Mouth-watering and earthy, with sage and gentian in the aftertaste. Thanks to @bigwhitemike for suggesting this to me a couple of months ago. I bought a bottle that day but as I had a heap of things already open and in need of finishing I’ve only just got around to tasting it. A very good aperitivo, it’s a new favourite and a definite step up from most. In profile it is somewhere between Aperol, Select and Campari but more interesting than the first two and less bitter than the third. Cappelletti produce a very good alpine amaro called Pasubio that is based on aged red wine – I could easily believe that this is either derived from that drink or else shares an ingredient recipe or manufacturing process. It’s enjoyable neat, and improved with a few ice cubes. It is versatile and mixes well with everything from soda water to dry sparkling wine to lemonade. Even tonic water works well. The complex bitter herbal personality at its base is the key as it works particularly well with the wine component. Delicious and more interesting than most aperitivi. In comparison, an Aperol spritz tastes like Fanta orange soda. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Light Aperitivo from Italy - lots of orange peel and some floral flavors, only mildly sweet. Also, some Alpine herbal scents. It makes a nice dry Spritz, pairing well with crisp light sparkling wine. Sort of like a lighter version of Campari.

Very citrus forward like bitter orange or pink grapefruit. Kinda Aperol’esque, and my favorite to use in a riff on the junglebird

Mellow and well rounded, I love it in a Jungle Bird or Negroni

Sweet wine base with comfortable bitterness