Tempus Fugit Spirits Gran Classico Bitter
Tempus Fugit Spirits Gran Classico Bitter is a 28% ABV (56 proof), 750mL bitter apéritif liqueur — made in Switzerland from a maceration of 25 aromatic herbs and roots, following the original 1860s "Italian Bitter of Turin" recipe, with a natural golden-amber colour and no added colouring. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 28% (56 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Bitter apéritif liqueur
- Recipe: "Italian Bitter of Turin," dating from the 1860s (originally Torino Gran Classico)
- Botanicals: 25 aromatic herbs and roots, including wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, rhubarb and hyssop
- Production: Maceration of the botanicals; the maceration itself creates the golden-amber colour — no additional colouring added
- Producer: Matter-Luginbühl AG, Switzerland, for Tempus Fugit Spirits
- Origin: Switzerland (recipe from Turin, Italy)
Turin's 1860s Bitter, Kept Alive in Switzerland
Gran Classico began in 1860s Turin as Torino Gran Classico, an "Italian Bitter of Turin" from the city that invented the apéritif hour. In 1925 the recipe was purchased by the small Swiss distillery Matter-Luginbühl, which produced its version for mostly local consumption for decades. Tempus Fugit Spirits — a house devoted to reviving historically accurate spirits — developed Gran Classico by reverting to that original recipe: 25 aromatic herbs and roots, led by wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, rhubarb and hyssop, macerated to a naturally golden-amber hue with nothing added for colour. For bartenders it became the complex, non-red alternative bitter for the Negroni and a modifier with range far beyond it. Browse the Tempus Fugit Spirits collection and the wider spirits shelves at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
The producer's notes: a natural golden-amber colour, and a multi-faceted bittersweet aroma of orange peel, gentian root and wormwood mingled with rhubarb and vanilla. The viscosity highlights sweet rhubarb first, then bitter gentian root and orange peel blend with wormwood, vanilla and resiny notes, into a deep, layered, lingering finish that balances and alternates between the sweet and the bitter.
How to Enjoy
Stand it alone on ice or lengthen it with seltzer for a true apéritif serve, or use it as the bitter in a Negroni for a golden, more herbal take on the classic. It also works as a modifier across stirred drinks wherever a complex, non-red bitter is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gran Classico like Campari? It fills the same role — the bitter apéritif in a Negroni or Americano — but it is a different, older recipe: golden-amber rather than red, with no added colouring, and a more herbal, layered bittersweet profile built on gentian, wormwood and rhubarb.
Why is Gran Classico not red? Its colour comes only from the botanical maceration itself, which produces a natural golden-amber hue; no additional colouring is added — unlike modern red bitters, which are coloured.
What botanicals are in Gran Classico? Twenty-five aromatic herbs and roots; the producer names wormwood, gentian, bitter orange peel, rhubarb and hyssop among them.
Where is Gran Classico made? In Switzerland, by the Matter-Luginbühl distillery, following the 1860s Turin recipe it purchased in 1925. It is bottled at 28% ABV.
An 1860s Turin recipe, a Swiss maceration, a golden Negroni — find Tempus Fugit Gran Classico Bitter at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.