Averna

Averna (Amaro Siciliano) is a Sicilian bitter liqueur made from various herbs, roots and essential oils from bitter oranges and lemons . The brand has been part of the portfolio of the Milan-based company Campari since 2014 . The alcohol content is 29 % vol .

history

According to an origin legend typical of liqueurs, the recipe for Amaro Averna was developed by monks from the Benedictine monastery of Santo Spirito at the beginning of the 19th century . In 1854 the monk Frà Girolamo gave the recipe to a textile merchant named Salvatore Averna as a thank you for his commitment to the monastery and the region. Averna initially only made the herbal liqueur for guests in his family's country house in Xiboli ( Caltanissetta ), where the family spent the hot Sicilian summers. At the beginning of the 20th century, he passed the recipe and the business on to his son Francesco Averna, who presented the Amaro at trade fairs across Italy and abroad.

After Francesco Averna's death, his wife Anna Maria took over management of the company in 1923. Together with her sons Salvatore, Paolo, Emilio and Michele, she continuously expanded the brand. In 1958, the family business became the public limited company Fratelli Averna SpA. At this point in time, the Amaro Averna was already being sold to the USA . In 2014 the Gruppo Campari took over the company.

production

Traditional herbal medicine was cultivated in the monastery, so according to the manufacturer, the use of Mediterranean herbs is typical for the recipe. Herbs, roots and spices as well as pomegranates and essential oils from bitter oranges and lemons are put together, mixed and chopped up. In the subsequent maceration , the ingredients are doused with pure alcohol and give off their aromas and flavors. If the taste and smell intensity are right, the mixture is reduced to drinking strength and bottled. According to the manufacturer, the recipe has remained unchanged since 1868.

Taste and consumption

The taste of Averna is bittersweet with hints of orange and liquorice and notes of myrtle , juniper berries , rosemary and sage . The Amaro is drunk straight after a meal as a digestif , on ice or with an orange or lemon wedge. Herbs such as sage, mint or rosemary can also be added to the glass to intensify the aroma.

Web links

• Brand owner's product page

literature

• Thomas Majden: Die Barfibel: Beverages & Brands , epubli, 2016, ISBN 978-3844252330

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Averna. Sicily's well-kept secret , accessed on March 22, 2017
2. ↑ Lombard-Sicilian wedding , on orf.at, accessed on March 15, 2017
3. ↑ Averna: In Search of the Herbal Secret , accessed on March 22, 2017
4. ↑ Herbal bitter: Amaro Averna ( memento from September 25, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), from June 19, 2008