Can you ship Amaro when warm/hot?

Should I think about shipping Amaro in the same way as wine, when thinking about it being too warm?

Does anyone know the usual transit time from Italy to the states? Even worse the west coast?

I will handle the travel.

If I recall correctly, Fernet Branca can only be destroyed by throwing it into a particular volcanic fissure inside Mount Doom.

Yeah, at the end of time, Fernet Branca will still be there, along with the cockroaches and the fish sauce. :slight_smile:

But seriously, it shouldn’t be as sensitive as wine, but very high temperatures could still effect corks, cause leaking etc. If there’s no rush, why risk it?

We could solve this problem by drinking Madeira exclusively.

I’m pretty down for this.

There were some Amaro I wanted to restock up on that we drink and use in cocktails. I wanted to order and have in the next month. But I wasn’t sure if 90-100 degree temperatures were a worry.

Sarah, I was suppose to do this a while ago…not sure if I told my wife I did but might have implied it
[oops.gif]

Between the sugar and the alcohol, it may have a bit more of a “radiator coolant” resistance to temperature, but probably not enough to make a difference in really hot weather.



I drink a fair deal of amaro, and I doubt that even the 17-20% ones would be very vulnerable to heat. And many from the south of Italy are 30+% and very sweet. So, as Alan says, I think they’d be pretty resistant to heat damage.

You know, I didn’t realize they were THAT high in alcohol! I’m looking at a bottle of d’Arancia I have, and it does say 30%. If so, combined with the sugar, it’s expansion coefficient is probably quite a bit less than an ordinary bottle of wine, so maybe more durable to be shipped in heat.

John, what are your favorites?

I would think they’d be fine…

I also love Amaro, so would love to hear anyone’s pet favorites. I love how simply varying the Amaro used in a cocktail can really change it up, and especially enjoy the combination of Cynar with Bourbon (creating a twist on the Boulevardier, sometimes using the Cynar in place of the Campari, but more often using the Cynar in place of the sweet vermount), and also the combination of Rye with either Montenegro or Suze (which I suppose isn’t technically an Amaro, but makes a nice drink anyway).

I enjoy trying the more exotic ones (Varnelli’s Amaro dell’Erboriste is a pretty crazy one), but often find myself gravitating back to Cynar and Montenegro (with Ramazotti as a close third), as these are very flexible, whether with Gin, Tequila or whiskey. I also enjoy Nonino Amaro, but have never had much luck using it in cocktails beyond the paper airplane.

The Amaro I am going to order are the following:
Braulio Riserva
Vecchio Amaro del Capo Centenary Riserva
Amaro Formidable

We had them while in Rome last summer, I don’t believe these versions are imported to the USA. If someone has seen them, I would love to know.

The Braulio and the Cafo del Capo are available in the US. Just Google them or check Wine Searcher.

My current favorite is Cocchi Dopo Teatro Vermouth Amaro. Just 16%, complex, mildly bitter flavors. I love it!

Montenegro is a good standby, relatively light in style (neither too sweet nor too high in alcohol) with some orange flavors but not dominated by it. Cardamaro is another lighter one that I like, with a mild cardamom flavor. Not the most complex, but refreshing.

I’ve never bought a bottle of Nonino, but I’ve liked that when I’ve had that at bars.

When I first started exploring, I went to Flatiron in NY and asked for recommendations. No one there knew anything other than that Cappelletti had a good reputation, so I bought the one they stocked. It was like essence of pine. Not my thing. I couldn’t drink it and gave it to an ITB friend who loved it.

I then went to Chambers St. and told them I liked Cardamaro and that their competition had sold me this weird piney shit. Could they steer me to something less freaky? They sold be a bottle of Cappelletti’s Sfumato Rabarbaro. I didn’t realize it was the same producer. And it turned out it’s made with smoked Chinese rhubarb. Hence the name.

WTF? I asked you for something not freaky, and you sold me smoked rhubarb amaro??

Then a strange thing happened. I slowly acquired a taste for it. I can’t take it in large doses, but I sometimes find myself hankering for some. (FYI, I’ve had two bottles that had a fair deal of fine sediment. I’m not sure if that’s normal or if they sat on the shelf too long. It’s hard to tell when a smoked rhubarb amaro is past its prime, frankly.)

What I don’t like are (a) very piney, which is common in amaros from the alpine areas in the northeast, (2) high alcohol (I try to focus on things under 25%) or (3) syrupy, super-sweet, simple fruity ones, which seem to abound in the South.

For those around NYC, Astor Wines has by far the largest amaro selection I’ve found. But ignore the shelf talkers. I found them useless. They didn’t even mention pine in some of the most piney, and didn’t comment on the style (sweetness, alcohol, bitterness).

Also, there’s a bitters bar in the East Village called Amaro Amore or something like that (I can’t find it via Google). If you can put up with the surly, arrogant hipster bartender, you can taste through a wide range there.

Thanks. I see the Braulio Riserva but not the Capo Riserva. The last one was made outside of Rome and I think just local.

Yes, it looks like the riserva may not be in the US. Have you tried the regular bottling?

We ship Amaro refrigerated because we ship everything refrigerated, but I doubt that it makes a difference.

John, I didn’t know you were a fan, remind me next time you’re in town and we’ll have a tasting.

I haven’t tried the regular bottling. I will see if I can find it locally. The selection of Amaro in our city is not great.

Excellent idea!

I’ve found the ones I like best are mostly from Piemonte, and from Turin, in particularly. Are there any made in the Langhe? Or amaro unnecessary because of chinato?