St. George Distillery in Alameda California was my first venture into small-operation craft distilling (back when it was still Hangar One)….I don’t think I even knew what a distillery was before my visit/tour at St. George! As such, there’s a very fond place in my heart for this amazing operation, not to mention their incredible lineup of brandies, vodkas, and liqueurs! They recently came out with their Californian twist on an amaro/aperitivo – Bruto Americano. The most popular comparison of this is the famous Campari.

Aperitivos/Amaros are classic Italian sweet/herbal/bitter liqueurs typically drank either before eating (to open up the appetite) or after (to aid with digestion). Being an amaro fiend, I’ve been super curious about this since I first saw it on the shelves last year and after finally getting a bottle, I’ll just say that wow, Bruto Americano definitely has quite the flavor profile! It’s extremelyyy bitter (primarily from gentian root), and paying homage to its California roots (no pun intended), is slightly citrusy from California-grown Seville oranges and woodsy from balsam fir and California buckthorn bark.

Try replacing Campari with Bruto for a twist on the classic Negroni: the Bruto Negroni, and see more Bruto Americano recipes here!