Italian Amaro liqueurs are known for their herbal and bittersweet taste - and Amaro Meletti is no different.
Like other Amari, Amaro Meletti is made from a secret combination of botanicals and herbs. Only a few ingredients are known, like Sibillini saffron, orange peel, gentian, and cloves.
It's traditionally served neat or on rocks as a digestif after a scrumptious meal. But Meletti also tastes great when poured into coffee or in mixed drinks.
What is Amaro Meletti?
Amaro Meletti is an Italian herbal liqueur with a distinct bittersweet taste. Its aftertaste is quite unique and combines a sweet caramel flavor with hints of saffron. The liqueur of 32% ABV is commonly served as a digestif, either on the rocks or neat.
The founder, Silvio Meletti, invented a unique distilling technique using a bain-marie still. This unique production process, combined with his secret formula, is the key to (Amaro) Meletti's success.
Meletti not only produces Amaro but also other types of liqueurs. Most of the ingredients used in these recipes are sourced locally in the Le Marche region.
Farmers often produce exclusively for Meletti. This way, the brand is able to ensure a high-quality standard across its product range.
Amaro Meletti facts sheet
- Type of alcohol: Amaro (Italian herbal liqueur)
- Origin: Le Marche, Italy
- ABV: 32%
- Price: $22 per 750ml bottle
- Ingredients: Known ingredients are clove, anise, saffron, orange peel, gentian roots, and violet flowers.
- Taste: Herbal and fruity with a slightly bitter taste
- Best served: Neat or on the rocks
Tasting notes for Amaro Meletti
Poured into the glass, Amaro Meletti is of light amber to a caramel color. It's brighter and more transparent than many other Amari.
The aroma of Amaro Meletti is pretty light floral with intense notes of gentian, saffron, and violet flowers. When tasting it, it's medium-bodied with an overall rather sweet taste with only slight bitter notes.
You can detect ingredients like cloves, cinnamon, anise, and even cola spices. It also has a pretty strong and dominant floral touch.
The aftertaste is again pretty sweet and almost caramel-like with hints of (Sibillini) saffron.
Alternatives to Amaro Meletti
Meletti Amari is often quite hard to get. So if you're looking for a decent substitute for Meletti, your best option is another Amaro. However, the list is long.
I recommend Amaro Nonino Quintessentia and Amaro Averna. Both are quality Amari with a similar flavor profile and are excellent substitutes for drinking neat or in cocktails.
Check our overview of Amaro Meletti substitutes for a more exhaustive list of possible alternatives.
Drinks to make with Amaro Meletti
Amaro Meletti works best in bold and boozy drinks with complex flavor profiles. This way, the elaborate herbal and floral flavors are showcased perfectly.
It can also be used in many classic cocktails using Amaro liqueurs. Try in a Negroni, Manhattan, or in a Paper Plane as a substitute for Aperol.
How is Meletti liqueur produced?
Silvio Meletti founded the Meletti company with the goal of creating a world-class anise liqueur that surpasses the leading products from Italy and France.
He studied the production processes of these liqueurs closely to find out the best way to make his product. In the end, he came up with a new and unique way of obtaining flavors of ingredients.
The base spirit used for producing Meletti is made from molasses and beetroot. This spirit is then mixed with his secret ingredients to extract their flavors.
Silvio Meletti used a cold-extraction process which is better known as percolation. This process is quite similar to brewing drip coffee:
Different ingredients are put in the upper part of the still before alcohol is poured over and through the mix.
The resulting infusion is poured over the ingredients again and again. Once the master distiller is happy with the flavor, color, and aroma of the liqueur, it is filtered and bottled.