DISPENSE AMARO

• WHAT: Dispense Amaro
• WHO: Asterley Bros.
• WHERE: Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange
• HOW MUCH: £29.95- £30.25 for a 50cl bottle

Asterley Brothers has launched Dispense Amaro, a 26% ABV amaro liqueur made by hand in small batches in Forest Hill, South London.

NOTE: [Dispense Amaro launched last November amidst the noise of many other mainstream brand launches with huge marketing budgets, as such, we feel that this product deserves more of an accolade for standing out for its interesting and pleasant complexity of flavour and downright drinkability. Here it is for the discerning few who are looking for something excellent for their bar, or a great ‘anytime’ gift for a friend.]

The recipe has been created using 24 natural ingredients including: bitter orange, hops, rosemary, rhubarb and lime. Each bottle takes three months to make using traditional techniques.

The drink itself is the creation of brothers Rob and Jim and is their effort to answer demand for artisan alternatives to mass produced, high sugar drinks.

“It is lighter, and more suited to the modern palate with a lower sugar content, more complexity and more bitter length. We use local hops for bitterness and also a vermouth that we make from Pinot Noir supplied by the UK’s best wine producer (Gusbourne Estates, IWSC ‘English Wine Producer of the Year’, 2015). Our method using vermouth in the final blend, is unique in Amaro production,” said Rob Asterley.

“Amaro is traditionally an Italian product and usually used as a digestif, but manufactuered in large quantities using low-cost industrial methods. Our Amaro is British, with demonstrable provenance and designed to be enjoyed as either aperitif or digestif. It is lower in ABV than many, more nuanced in its bitter profile and contains devil’s claw, gentian and milk thistle. This is an Amaro unlike any other,” added Jim Asterley.

Sip with tonic for a complex aperitif, add a splash to your G&T or indulge as a digestif with a single cube of ice.

Dispense Amaro is available in bars including: The Clove Club, Fera at Claridges, Bubbledogs/Kitchen Table, Perilla and Merchant House among others. It can also be found in shops such as: Hedonism Wines, Jones of Brockley, Ben’s House, Salthouse Bottles, BOB Wines and Bambuni.

For online orders you can find it via Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange.