Old 49 Distilling Catalina Apero Liqueur
Old 49 Distilling Catalina Apero Liqueur is a California aperitivo made in Los Angeles as a local answer to Aperol. Old 49 was founded in 2017 by bartender and screenwriter David Glicksman and Army veteran and stunt pilot Aaron Fitzgerald, and takes its name from the forty-ninth iteration of a whiskey recipe by Glicksman's grandfather Nat Kidder, who distilled spirits for Navy sailors in Hawaii in the 1940s. Glicksman created Catalina Apero after time spent in France, building it for the spritz: a corn spirit is macerated for roughly three months with fresh local citrus and a proprietary list of more than a dozen roots and botanicals, including rhubarb, cinchona and gentian root, with the botanicals added and adjusted by hand in stages before the solids are removed on a plate filter and the liqueur is lightly sweetened with cane sugar. It is bottled at 15% ABV in a one-liter bottle with a hand screen-printed label and a paper seal modeled on 1949–1986 US federal tax stamps. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Proof / ABV: 30 proof (15% ABV)
- Base: Corn spirit, macerated ~3 months
- Botanicals: Fresh local citrus, rhubarb, cinchona, gentian and 12+ more
- Size: 1L
- Origin: Los Angeles, California, USA
Los Angeles' Answer to the Spritz Bitter
Old 49 Distilling, founded in 2017, is a bartender-built Los Angeles house: everything about Catalina Apero — the hand-staged botanical additions, the hand screen-printed label, the vintage tax-stamp seal — is done for the bar first. It delivers Aperol-style spritz character from California citrus and a classic bitter backbone of rhubarb, cinchona and gentian. Explore more liqueurs and the wider spirits shelf at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Lime zest, fresh orange juice, lychee and orange blossom on the nose, lemongrass, mastic and marshmallow with lemon zest on the palate, and a gentle, lingering citrus-framed bitterness.
How to Enjoy
Built for a classic spritz with prosecco and soda; it also pours into a Spaghett with lager and lemon, or a Bitter Mai Tai. Browse cocktails and gift sets at Del Mesa for spritz season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What proof is Catalina Apero?
30 proof (15% ABV), bottled in a full 1-liter bottle.
Where is it made?
In Los Angeles, California, by Old 49 Distilling, founded in 2017 by David Glicksman and Aaron Fitzgerald.
What is it made from?
A corn spirit macerated about three months with fresh local citrus and more than a dozen roots and botanicals, including rhubarb, cinchona and gentian, lightly sweetened with cane sugar.
What is it for?
The spritz — it is California's local answer to Aperol, and also works in a Spaghett or Bitter Mai Tai.
Order Old 49 Distilling Catalina Apero Liqueur online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — a liter of Los Angeles spritz, ready for summer.