Luxardo Bitter Bianco
Luxardo Bitter Bianco is a 30% ABV (60 proof), 750mL clear bitter aperitivo from Girolamo Luxardo S.p.A. of Torreglia, Italy — the same bitter herb, aromatic plant and citrus infusions as Luxardo Bitter, distilled before blending so the spirit stays transparent with an ivory tint from a final wormwood infusion, with no artificial coloring. It scored 88 points at the 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge and Gold at the 2019 Bartender Spirits Awards. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Bianco is the Luxardo recipe that almost vanished. The house held a Bitter Bianco recipe in its records since the early 1900s, but when the Zara distillery was destroyed in World War II — the catastrophe that drove the family to rebuild at Torreglia in 1947 — no sample or bottle survived. The modern Bianco, relaunched for today's colorless-cocktail era, distills most of the infusions clear, then restores the bitterness with Roman wormwood: a red bitter's soul in a crystal glass.
Tasting profile: orchard fruit, zesty citrus and white-petal florals with Christmassy spice and herbal notes; a bittersweet palate of ripe pear, zesty orange and lemon, rooty bitterness, rosemary-led herbal complexity and white-pepper spice; a long, bitter, herbal, lightly spiced finish. Browse the Luxardo brand collection, more liqueurs and bitters, and the full spirits collection at Del Mesa Liquor.
Serving note: an aperitivo neat or over ice, and the twist-maker for clear classics — Negroni Bianco, Paloma Bianco, White Spritz or Bitter Bianco & Soda.
How is Bianco different from Bitter Rosso? Same botanical infusions, but Bianco is distilled before blending — clear instead of red, 30% instead of 25% ABV, with a slightly different, pear- and citrus-led profile.
Why is it clear? Distillation strips the color; an ivory tint returns with the final wormwood infusion. No artificial coloring is added.
What cocktails is it for? Colorless twists — Negroni Bianco, Paloma Bianco, White Spritz.
What is the ABV? 30% ABV (60 proof), 750mL.