Liquori delle Sirene Canto Amaro Veneto

750ml bottle

27% abv

Primary Botanicals: Rose hips, lemon, thistle, Gentiana lutea, vanilla bean, timut pepper, cacao beans, coffee beans, rabarbaro
Botanical Source: Local herbs cultivated organically on Monte Baldo at 800m, timut pepper from Asia, vanilla from Madagascar
Finished ABV: 27%
Method of Production: All infusions are done individually at different alcohol levels and stirred everyday for 20-45 days. Infusions pressed and combined, then water and sugar added. Rested briefly and paper filtered. No coloring added.
Try this in a: Margarita, Paloma

A traditional and terroir-driven amaro made primarily with infusions from Lake Garda botanicals such as lemons, thistle, rose berries, and sweet and bitter orange. It also includes others like kina, vanilla, and timut pepper (similar to Sichuan pepper), from elsewhere. All infusions are done individually, blended according to Elisa’s recipe and then rested for a short time in small oak cask. A light filtration is performed with paper filter to preserve color and aroma. No chemicals or artificial coloring are used.

A medium bitter flavor, partly from thistle, and partly from citrus. Flavors of lemon are persistent, complemented by the thistle aromatics. Finishes with the sweetness of vanilla and pungency of the timut pepper and ginger. 

Serve as with a traditional amaro, neat or with an ice cube and lemon twist. A float of tonic would not be unwelcome. 

The Liquori delle Sirene are a collection of bitters and liqueurs made by the lovely Elisa Carta, a trained sommelier and olive oil taster, and a passionate herbalist. All of her products were born on Lake Garda, and were inspired by its gardens, colors, sunsets, and aromas. Many of the botanicals come from here. The name Sirene is a tribute to one of the most beautiful bays in the lake, Baia delle Sirene (Bay of the Sirens), and its story. Liquori delle Sirene are the fruit of a long and passionate research, and the reworking of old family recipes for Italian liqueurs and elixirs. No chemicals or artificial coloring are used in any of Elisa’s products.

Elisa makes her liqueurs near Lake Garda, using recipes handed down to her that have been in her family for generations. They are artisanal creations made from herbs, flowers, roots and fruit; botanical ingredients that are infused singly in alcohol, then combined to give complex, distinctive aroma and flavor. Most of the botanicals she uses come from around the lake with the exception of some from the Far East that do not grow in Italy but have been traditionally used in Italian liqueurs for centuries, such as Chinese Rhubarb Root. Mount Baldo, on the Verona side of Lake Garda, has been called ‘Hortus Europae,’ the garden of Europe, for its environment and its richness of flora and fauna, and Elisa has made a detailed study of the herbs of this ecosystem. Many of the local botanicals were no longer grown here until just a decade or so ago as much of the population left for big cities and higher wages after the World Wars. A group of young Mount Baldo residents, disenchanted with city life, are staying in the region and have banded together to resurrect the botanical industry that the region was previously famous for. They have replanted fields, are farming organically, hand harvesting, and using proper cutting and drying techniques. The local economy has responded enthusiastically and Elisa is sourcing some of her herbs from them to make her range of bitters and liqueurs. 

Notes from the importer:

The Sirene products are a group of naturally made, traditional, Italian spirits. Elisa Carta is the force behind the brand, and her delicate yet precise liqueurs, bitters and aperitif wines reflect her as much as they do any prevailing category definitions. She reworks old family recipes using both local botanicals and those traditionally sourced from Asia. Elisa grew up foraging and growing herbs with her grandmother, an amateur botanist, and the recipes are close to her heart. She named her products ‘Sirene' after the Baia delle Sirene (Bay of the Sirens) on Lake Garda which is also one of her chief botanical sources. No chemicals or artificial coloring are ever used in Elisa’s products.

Amari are traditionally consumed after a meal to assist with digestion, and in the hills above Lake Garda the diet is fish and vegetables so only a moderate after dinner elixir is necessary. The Canto fits this mold perfectly. Medium bitter, some coming from the thistle and some from the citrus, finishing with the sweetness of vanilla and pungency of the timut pepper and ginger. Lovely on its own but also sings with lime and grapefruit.