Here’s some news on the Italian-booze-that’s-coming-to-America front:
Italian distiller Bepi Tosolini–best known for making grappa–also makes Saliza Amaretto and Amaro Tosolini. And both are expected to arrive in the U.S. for national distribution next week.
Saliza Amaretto is dark orange in color. It’s an intense, full-bodied amaretto with mellow notes of honey and candied apricot, plus some nutty toffee. It’s made with actual almonds rather than extracts or concentrates. Perhaps this is why we can enjoy it neat, whereas most commercial amarettos seem too artificially sweet to be consumed alone, though we’re still eager to try this in a better-than-your-average amaretto sour. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge likes it too–giving it a “Very Good—Strongly Recommended” designation in 2011.
Amaro Tosolini is an herbal liqueur with a recipe dating back to 1918. It’s made with 15 different herbs and spices, and is cut with water from the alps. It clocks in at 60 proof. This one we haven’t sampled. But we’d like to, so let us know if you see a bottle in circulation.
