Hypatia Rubi Amaro
Hypatia Rubi Amaro is a California amaro with an ancient soul — 24% ABV (48 proof), 750mL, from Great Women Spirits, the Coppola family's line honoring history's great women, and built on an 1800s formulation. Nearly twenty botanicals — wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, cochineal and pinot noir stems among them — are layered over a 100% grain spirit, sweetened with organic cane sugar and proofed with Napa Valley estate spring water. "Rubi" is the color: a vibrant ruby red from cochineal extract, the traditional carmine. The palate is properly grown-up bittersweet — bitter blood-orange peel, lemon verbena, maraschino cherry, orange-black-tea spice and toasted walnut, over notes of pomegranate and cranberry compote. 87 points at the 2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 24% (48 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Base: 100% grain spirit
- Botanicals: Nearly 20 — wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, cochineal beetle, pinot noir stems (named)
- Sweetening / color: Organic cane sugar; cochineal extract for the ruby-red hue
- Formulation: Based on an 1800s recipe; proofed with Napa Valley estate spring water
- Producer: Great Women Spirits (Coppola family), California
- Namesake: Hypatia of Alexandria, 4th-century philosopher, astronomer and mathematician
- Awards: 87 points, Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2021
Hypatia's Bitter Ruby
Hypatia of Alexandria taught philosophy, astronomy and mathematics in the 4th century — and her amaro is the intellectual of the bar shelf: bitter first, then floral, then fruity, ending savory. The pinot noir stems are a winemaker's touch (this is the Coppola family, after all), and the cochineal red is a nod to how amaro was colored before artificial dyes. Browse it among our liqueurs and amari, and meet its gin sibling on the Great Women Spirits page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Lemon peel, orange blossom, sweet marjoram, summer savory thyme, toasted mushrooms, pomegranate and cranberry compote. Palate: Bitter blood-orange peel entry, lemon verbena lift, then maraschino cherry, orange-black-tea spice, savory mushroom and toasted walnut. Finish: Grown-up bittersweet balance.
How to Enjoy
Neat after dinner as a digestivo, or over ice with an orange twist. It also brings a sophisticated bitter-red note to spritzes and Negroni variations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Rubi" mean? "Ruby" — it describes the amaro's vibrant ruby-red hue, which comes from cochineal extract. It is not a ruby port product.
What botanicals are in it? Nearly twenty, savory to sweet; the named ones are wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, cochineal and pinot noir stems.
How do you drink an amaro? Traditionally neat or on ice after a meal as a digestivo; Hypatia Rubi also works in spritzes and bitter cocktails.
Bittersweet and ruby-red — order Hypatia Rubi Amaro online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.