Amaro Averna is an Italian

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...

in the Amaro category produced in

Caltanissetta Caltanissetta (; scn, Nissa or ) is a ''comune'' in the central interior of Sicily, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta. Its inhabitants are called ''Nisseni''. In 2017, the city had a population of 62,797. It is the 14th ...

, Sicily. It is named after its inventor, Salvatore Averna, who invented the recipe in 1868. This drink is produced on the Island of

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and is considered a traditional drink. The Averna company was acquired in 2014 by Gruppo Campari.

History

In 1802, Salvatore Averna. was born into a family of drapers. Growing up in Caltanissetta, he became one of the most active members of the community, a justice of the peace and benefactor of the

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The c ...

of the Holy Spirit. Here, following an ancient tradition born in the fortified

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abbeys and spread to Europe through the

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began ...

and

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

monasteries, the

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

produced an elixir of herbs that was pleasant despite being "bitter", and was popularly thought to possess tonic and therapeutic properties. In 1859, as a token of gratitude, fray Girolamo, prior de la Abadía de Santo Spirito gave Salvatore the recipe for the infusion. In 1868 he began producing Averna for guests at his home. Laboratorio dello Stabilimento dei F

It was Francesco Averna, son of Salvatore, who took the initiative to promote the bitter, participating in various exhibitions in Italy and abroad. During a private visit of

King Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

in 1895, Francesco received a gold pin with the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

insignia in recognition of the Sicilian bitter, which by now was well known. In 1912

Vittorio Emanuele III Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

granted the Averna Company the right to affix the royal crest on the label of their liquor with the words "Patent of the Royal House": the Averna Company became supplier to the royal household. All these awards led Francesco to redesign the label, incorporating all its certificates and prizes. After the untimely death of Francesco, his wife Anna Maria took over the company. The third generation, Francesco's sons Salvatore, Paolo, Emilio and

Michele Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

consolidated the firm's success and contributed to its evolution, despite all the difficulties arising from two world wars, to such an extent that the company was able to continue production without interruption, even succeeding in starting an export business to America. In 1958 the Averna Company became a public corporation (Fratelli Averna S.p.A.). Some years later a new factory was built. 1978 was a very significant year in the company's history: after 110 years and three generations a family craft product become a major company in the Italian market. Since 1978, the fourth generation of Averna has maintained that position in the market, further consolidating it through product diversification: the "Averna Group" now includes the

Villa Frattina A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

winery producing (still and

sparkling wines Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne r ...

). In the last decade, consolidation within the domestic market has been accompanied by an intense internationalization effort that has seen growing development in foreign markets. In 2014, the

Campari Group Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded beverage industry. It produces spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature product, Campari, its portfolio has been ...

acquired 100% of Fratelli Averna. The transaction was worth €103,750,000, made up of a price of €98 million and a net financial debt of €5.75 million.

Overview

The herbs, roots and citrus rinds are allowed to soak in the base liquor before caramel is added. Averna is sweet, thick and has a gentle herbal bitterness. It is 29% alc/volume (formerly 32%) and distilled and bottled in Italy. Averna is a classic digestif, often served on the rocks or neat. It also is an ingredient in some

cocktails A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

. Traditional herbal medicine was cultivated in the monastery, so according to the manufacturer, the use of Mediterranean herbs is typical for the recipe. Herbs, roots and spices as well as pomegranates and essential oils from bitter oranges and lemons are collected, mixed and crushed. In the subsequent maceration, the ingredients are doused with pure alcohol and give off their aromas and flavors to it. If the intensity of taste and smell is right, the mixture is reduced to drinking strength and bottled. According to the manufacturer, the recipe has not changed since 1868.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Amaro Averna
Corporate website (USA)
Italian liqueurs Cuisine of Sicily Caltanissetta Products introduced in 1868 Italian companies established in 1868 Italian brands Campari Group