Amaro Santa Maria al Monte is a historic liqueur from Genoa produced according to the 100-year-old recipe of the fathers of the monastery of the same name. In the formula, which has remained the same as the original, there are more than thirty ingredients chosen from herbs, roots, seeds and barks from all over the world that are left to infuse in the alcohol to cold extract their essences; the infusion is then brought to 40° of alcoholic degree: months of seasoning follow until it is ready. The total processing takes almost a year and a half!
Amaro Santa Maria al Monte has a full, round taste that makes it an excellent digestive.
The history of Amaro Santa Maria al Monte
This Genoese bitter was born in 1858 when the fathers of the Convent of the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora del Monte (in the San Fruttuoso district) donated to Vincenzo Castrovillari, then employed by the Duke of Aosta, the ancient recipe of the elixir produced for centuries by the same monks: among the ingredients would be myrrh, the aromatic gum that was also one of the gifts of the Magi, with an obvious religious reference. Castrovillari then added to the preparation aromatic alpine herbs of his choice, as the label itself states 'ancient Ligurian speciality, composed of aromatic products from the Alps'. The bitter in the 19th century immediately gained popularity as a digestive and also received many awards at international exhibitions in Germany and France.
After almost two hundred years, the recipe for this success remains the same today as it was then.
Amaro Santa Maria al Monte: how to drink it
It is famous for being the perfect digestive, drunk neat or with ice at the end of a meal; an old-fashioned tonic, a small glass is enough to have a pleasant invigorating effect. Absolutely to be tried as a coffee corrective.
It can also be used to make cocktails, combining it with citrus essences or fresh herbaceous notes such as mint or basil. Excellent when used instead of rum, without even having to add sugar.