Five classy Italian liquors
Bring a touch of class to your dinner party with these simple Italian liquors
By the time dessert arrived, I’d ate and drank so much I was in danger of submerging head first into my zabaione.
The food had been exceptional, but I was beginning to regret that second helping of risotto ai calamari. Opening a third bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano was certainly a mistake.
What I really needed was a moment or two to clear my head. Plus a short sharp shot of something to reactivate my bloated corpse.
During a lull in the conversation, I discreetly extended my belt a notch or two. At that moment Annalisa, our obliging hostess for the evening, arrived with a tray full of exotic-looking bottles, ice and exquisite glassware. As she reached over to place the tray on the table in front of me, I immediately perked up, my curiosity instantly piqued.
When it comes to eating and drinking, few do it better than the Italians.
From pizza and pasta, wine and cheese, coffee and cocktails, Italian cuisine is hard to beat. Invariably fresh, local and delicious, Italian food and wine is renowned throughout the world.
Italians are perfectionists when it comes to eating and drinking. Simplicity and attention to detail are crucial. And certain rules apply. Cappucino is only drunk in the morning. Beer with pizza (never wine). Pasta must be served al dente.
While many of these rules may seem arbitrary, they generally have an undeniable logic, often associated with digestion, a process with which Italians are intimately familiar.
Italians, for example, tend not to eat heavy carb-based meals, including pasta, in the evening, which they prefer to enjoy at lunchtime. Instead, a typical Italian evening meal will be something light — fish or a simple meat dish, for example.
All of this to aid the digestive process as they prepare for bed.
Italians are also very particular about what (and when) to drink. Unlike us Scots (who will pretty much drink anything, anytime, anywhere), Italians have a particular time and place for coffee (almost always a short, strong espresso), wine is generally only drank with a meal, and beer is the tipple of choice with pizza.
When it comes to after-dinner drinking, Italians also have a particular sensibility. Drinking wine, beer or even a cocktail after dinner makes little sense to the average Italian.
Instead, after eating Italians favour a short, fragrant herbal liquor or digestivo.
And that is exactly what I needed when Annalisa approached with her tray brimming with eye-catching exotic-looking bottles.
While apéritifs are designed to stimulate the appetite, digestifs are, not to put to fine a point on it, intended to aid the digestive process.
Digestifs generally have a touch of sweetness (unlike classic aperitifs such as gin, prosecco and vermouth, which are generally dryer), and a fairly robust alcohol content (typically around 35% vol). While whisky, brandy, port and sherry, are all popular nightcaps, it will come as no surprise that Italy has its very own specialities. Spirits distilled with a blend of roots, herbs and other botanicals specifically designed to stimulate (or indeed calm) the gastrointestinal system.
Offering a tray of digestifs is the perfect way to bring your dinner party to a close. The only problem is, your guests may never want to leave!
Anyway, here are a few of my favourites.
Amaro Montenegro
Distilled in Bologna, this popular digestivo it is made from a secret blend of 40 botanicals, including vanilla, orange peel and eucalyptus. It was first produced in 1885 and is named after Princess Elena of Montenegro, who was Queen of Italy from 1900 until 1946. It is said that the young queen invented the “signed photograph”, which she sold to raise funds for military hospitals during the First World War.
Unchanged since 1885, the complex Monte Negro recipe has been passed down from one generation to the next. Sweet with bright citrus notes and a hint of spice, followed by a long soothing vanilla aftertaste, its distinctive bottle would enhance any drinks cabinet.
Amaretto Disaronno
This sweet tasting, almond-based liquor comes in one of the most distinctive bottles of its class. Designed by a master glassmaker from Venice, the bottle is reassuringly heavy with a robust, square cap — a true Italian style icon.
Like so much of Italian history and tradition, this sweet digestif has its origins in the renaissance. In the city of Saronno the renowned painter Bernardino Luini was commissioned to instal a fresco depicting the Madonna and the Adoration of the Magi. While working on the fresco, Luini stayed in a local inn, where he became infatuated with the beautiful innkeeper. In fact, it is said that he modelled his Madonna on her! In return, she offered him an homemade elixir of herbs, toasted sugar, bitter almonds and brandy. To this day, the liqueur from Saronno symbolises friendship and affection. In the town of Saronno, Luini’s fresco is still visible in the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Miracles, his virgin Mary, depicted by that enigmatic innkeeper who gave the world one of its most iconic Italian liquors!
Vecchio Amaro Del Capo
Vecchio Amaro del Capo is a herbal liquor from the Caffo di Limbadi distillery in the Calabria region of southern Italy, which overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea. The liquor takes its name from Capo Vaticano, a breathtaking natural ‘cape’ that is depicted on the bottle’s label. After travelling throughout Italy, the famous Venetian writer Giuseppe Berto settled in Capo Vaticano, where he built a villa with views towards Sicily. It remains an intoxicating place of dramatic beauty and majestic skylines.
A mysterious blend of twenty-nine local herbs, flowers, fruits and roots, Vecchio Amaro is best served chilled. At -20°C, the bittersweet taste of orange blossom and chamomile, combine with intense liquorice, peppermint and aniseed, to deliver a delightful warm after-dinner glow.
Frangelico
With its origins in the 17th century monasteries of Piedmont, Frangelico is a wild hazelnut-based liqueur. Its name derives from a hermit monk, Fra Angelico, who inhabited the Piedmontese hills in the 17th century.
Once roasted, the wild hazelnuts are infused and distilled with natural cocoa and vanilla essences to produce a nutty-sweet and refreshing liquor of 20% vol.
Frangelico is presented in yet another unique bottle, this time in the form of a glass monk, complete with rope belt. Another distinctive addition to the after-dinner tray!
Limoncello
Limoncello is a popular Italian liqueur produced mainly in Southern Italy, around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula, the coast of Amalfi, and the islands of Procida, Ischia, and Capri.
Traditionally, limoncello is made from lemons from Sorrento or Sfusato. Lemon zest is steeped in neutral spirits and mixed with a sugary syrup to produce this quintessential after-dinner liquor.
Because of its simplicity, Limoncello is a favourite for home-brewing. At the end of an authentic Italian meal, a rustic (often potent) homemade bottle will invariably find its way onto your table!
Sharp and refreshing — serve ice-cold in chilled glasses for the ideal summer-time digestive.
Five great Italian digestives to choose from. What’s your after-dinner tipple of choice?
