From: 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: White wine (Cortese), sugar, alcohol, water, herbal extracts
Aromas: 10 of the 25 major aromas (the other 15 are secret): Ginger, mint leaves, hibiscus flower, hawthorn flower, nettle leaves, angelica roots, bitter orange peel, rhubarb roots, sage, sweet orange peel, etc.
Production Method: Fine crushing of the botanicals with a hammer mill. Cold extraction using a hydroalcoholic solution that irrigates the botanical powders for about 20 days, in order to extract all of the aromatic parts. Then the extract is mixed with wine, alcohol, and sugar. It is then refrigerated and filtered to remove all solid residues. Finally, it is aged in steel tanks for about 40 days.
Tasting Notes: "Burnt sienna color. Showing a complex bouquet of citrus, cinnamon, burnt sugar and a hint of eucalyptus leaf, the Americano Rosso is creamy smooth, and off dry. There’s an appealing note of orange marmalade along with other citrus, floral and herbal notes on the palate. Infused with a variety of aromatics including wormwood and gentian. The name Americano refers to bitterness and has nothing to do with the Western Hemisphere. 200 g/L, 16.5% alc." –International Wine Review, 92 points
