Amaro di Angostura
Amaro di Angostura is a 70-proof (35% ABV), 750mL Caribbean amaro from the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago, built directly on the world's most famous aromatic bitters and married with spices for three months — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 35% (70 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Origin: Trinidad and Tobago — House of Angostura
- Made from: Angostura aromatic bitters + neutral spirit + additional spices, married 3 months
- Launched: 2014, for the company's 190th anniversary
- Accolade: Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2015
The Bitters You Know, Reborn as an Amaro
For nearly two centuries the House of Angostura has made the aromatic bitters that sit on every serious back bar in the world — the secret-recipe dashes that built the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan. For its 190th anniversary the house turned that legacy inward: its blenders combined the iconic bitters with neutral spirit and more spices, then left the mixture to marry for three months. The result is a Caribbean amaro — spicier and more robust than its Italian cousins, the only amaro in the world made with Angostura bitters, and a liqueur that won Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient at Tales of the Cocktail 2015.
Tasting Notes
Nose: deep amber and aromatic — a spiced bouquet of caramel, cinnamon, liquorice, citrus, dark chocolate, and toasted sugar. Palate: cinnamon and toasted caramel lead, with pleasant bitterness and liquorice notes, bittersweet and full. Finish: lasting chocolate and sweet herbs.
How to Enjoy
The house's global ambassador recommends sipping it neat at room temperature rather than over ice, for maximum flavor — though it is also superb as a digestivo or with espresso. Behind the bar it is the backbone of the Trinidad Sour and a secret weapon for adding bittersweet depth to whisky and rum cocktails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Amaro di Angostura the same as Angostura bitters? No — it is made with the bitters as a base, plus neutral spirit and more spices, married for three months. The bitters are 44.7% ABV and used by the dash; this is a 35% ABV sipping liqueur.
What cocktails use Amaro di Angostura? The Trinidad Sour is the signature serve, and it adds bittersweet spice to Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and espresso-based drinks.
Is it very bitter? Less so than many Italian amari — it leans spice-forward, with cinnamon, chocolate, and caramel balancing the bitterness.
The Caribbean's answer to the Italian amaro — order Amaro di Angostura online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.