Averna’s herbaceous bitterness is best balanced with traditional Sicilian sweets and shared with good company. In 1859, as a token of gratitude, fray Girolamo, prior de la Abadía de Santo Spirito gave Salvatore the recipe for the infusion.

It is produced by macerating the herbs, roots and citrus rinds in a base spirit, mixing the filtrate with caramel syrup. This makes Averna substitutions tricky and while there are viable alternatives, the drinks will not be quite the same. In 1912 Vittorio Emanuele III 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.If the intensity of taste and smell is right, the mixture is reduced to drinking strength and bottled. Traditional herbal medicine was cultivated in the monastery, so according to the manufacturer, the use of Mediterranean herbs is typical for the recipe.

I hadn't drunk this amaro in about a year or two and after exploring quite a few amaros in the meantime, when I gave this a try again I must say I did not enjoy it as much as I remember it.

Makes a lovely cocktail with 2/3 whisky (or whiskey) 1/3 Amero a dash of orange bitters and a dash of angostura bitters. Created in 1868 for Salvatore Averna by the herbalist monks of San Spirito Abbey in Caltanissetta, Averna was the first licensed spirit in Sicily and has since grown to become Italy's best-selling amaro.