From: Canelli, Piedmont, Italy
The original 19th-century recipe for Contratto Americano is based on a unique combination of white wine, Italian brandy, and a delicate infusion of over 25 premium natural herbs, spices, roots, and seeds. The selection of botanicals (including ginger, mint, bitter orange, sage, etc.) comes from a similar pool to Contratto's Vermouth, though the Americano is a bit sweeter. This aromatic infusion of herbs and spices creates a distinctive bouquet and flavor, delicious served chilled on its own and a perfect ingredient in classic and contemporary mixology.
Ingredients: 100% estate-grown Cortese grapes & extracts of 31 different herbs, spices, roots and seeds, including coriander, laurel, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, angelica, clove, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, nettle, sweet orange, carob, juniper, rhubarb, hibiscus, sage, cinchona, lemon, elderberry, bergamot, licorice and sandalwood. Natural caramel added for color.
Aromas: Black cherry cola, nutmeg, and oregano precede a palate of blackberry, gentian, and spearmint with white pepper, grapefruit, and wormwood on the finish
Production Method: Botanicals are crushed through a hammer mill and cold extracted with hydro-alcoholic solution over 20 days, then fortified with grape-based spirit. Filtered and rested in stainless steel for 40 days.
Tasting Notes: Slightly lower in sugar and alcohol than its bianco counterpart, Contratto’s Vermouth Rosso has quickly established itself as one of the apertivi and modifier of choice amongst the bartending elite. Herbaceous, sweet, acidic, and more pronounced in its bitter character than many of the competing sweet vermouths.
