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Did you know that in Italy a heavy lunch or dinner does not end without a “digestivo”? It is a bitter, an ‘ammazzacaffè‘ to digest food and “clean” the stomach. The most common digestives are bitters, which differ from liqueurs precisely in their flavour: bitter is bitter and is used to end a meal.
Liqueurs, on the other hand, are sweet and accompany desserts. Bitters, like liqueurs and infusions, originated in the medieval Arab world for medicinal purposes, thanks to Alchemy. The first drink most similar to a bitter dates back to the 1300s.
Here are the most famous Italian digestives.
Old Bitter of the Cape is of Calabrian origin, from Vibo Valentia. It takes its name from the locality depicted on the label and has a bitter-sweet taste with an aromatic aftertaste and is composed of water, neutral alcohol, sugar, herbal infusions and natural aromas. It has an alcohol content of 35 per cent and is recommended to be consumed chilled.
Branca fernet is a bitter from the Branca family of Milan. It has been produced since 1845 and its first recipe dates back to 1842 under the name Fernet Vittone. This recipe has always been secret, handed down from father to son. Fernet is made with 27 herbs and spices from four continents, including cinnamon, aloe, rhubarb, chamomile, cinchona, zedoaria, galanga, lime, bitter orange, iris, saffron, myrrh in a base of vine alcohol together with flowers, leaves, roots and stems from which alcoholic infusions are made. Its alcoholic grdation is 39°. It is an excellent digestive after a meal.
Amaro lucano is a bitter sweet herbal liqueur produced in the province of Matera, in Pisticci Scalo. Its invention dates back to 1894 thanks to Pasquale Vena, who produced it in his biscuit factory by mixing medicinal herbs.
Amaro Camatti is an ancient Genoese liqueur with a balanced and expressive flavour made from almond, gentian, cinchona, bitter orange and mint together with flowers and aromas in an artisanal process. It was created in 1924 with a secret recipe by the Leghorn chemist Umberto Briganti together with his brother Cesare. It is named with the surname of his beloved wife, Camatti. We suggest drinking it as an aperitif or as a digestive, on its own with a few ice cubes.
It was the winner of the international World Liquers Awards 2023.
Cynar is a liqueur made from artichoke leaf essence and an infusion of thirteen herbs and plants with a bitter-sweet flavour and a dark amber colour. Its origins date back to 1948, when it was created by Venetian entrepreneur Angelo Delle Molle. Since 1995 it has been part of the Campari group.
Its alcohol content is 16.5 degrees. It was created both as a digestive and as an aperitif. We recommend drinking it over ice, accompanied by a slice of lemon or orange.
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If you want to try some After Dinner Drinks by yourself and you are not in Italy, order on Vico Food Box.
