Don Ciccio & Figli C3 Carciofo. I somewhat recently ran out of Cynar (the first amaro I ever owned after Campari, way before I even knew what an amaro was). This reminded me to bust out my bottle of C3, an American-made artichoke-focused bitter liqueur similar to the famous Cynar artichoke amaro.

Artichoke liqueur sounds odd, but the magic of amaro is that it’s less of a liqueur and more of a complex herbal concoction, often made using dozens of different roots, herbs, and spices. Although Cynar is by far the most famous artichoke amaro, the style is popular enough that there is an entire subclass known as “amaro di carciofo” (artichoke). Compared to Cynar, C3 is a bit more bitter, less sweet, and overall slightly stronger with a more intensified flavor. Definitely in the same family though.

The artichoke used in this type of amaro is not the kind we roast and eat, and the Italian tradition of using artichokes for creating bittersweet liqueurs dates back over a hundred years. The inspiration for this bottle was to create something reminiscent of a vintage 1950s era Cynar.

Don Ciccio e Figli is an American spirits company strictly focused on creating modernized interpretations of traditional Italian spirits inspired by the liqueur-making history of the founder’s family in Italy.

I’ve tried quite a few things in their line and have really been impressed by their range of unique products. If you’re an amaro fan and interested in trying out some high quality modernized versions that do not lean overly sweet, I recommend checking out their stuff!