Santa Maria al Monte Caffe Espresso Liquor 750ml

Santa Maria al Monte is a beloved name in Italian liqueurs. It is rumored that the Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte in Genoa gifted a sacred herbal recipe for the “miraculous elixir of Santa Maria” to the Duke of Aosta. His chef, Vicenzo Castrovillari, developed the recipe into an amaro and began producing it for the public in Sampierdarena (now a part of Genoa), receiving a patent for his product in 1892. Amaro Santa Maria al Monte quickly garnered international acclaim, and it was notoriously lauded by the director of the Medical Clinic of the University of Genoa as being “superior to fernet.”

In the early 1900s, the brand was purchased by established Ligurian liqueur maker Nicola Vignale, and for three generations, the Vignale family preserved this Genoese specialty. Now owned and produced by Gruppo Caffo, the amaro and liqueurs of Santa Maria al Monte are made with the same recipes and methods that have made them Italian household and bar staples for well over a century.

• Coffee liqueur produced by Gruppo Caffo in Taranto, Italy
• Made primarily with arabica coffee with the addition of some robusta; coffee sourced from Ethiopia, Honduras, Brasil, and Uganda
• Coffee beans are roasted in Calabria in small batches by a local artisanal roaster
• Base distillate made from neutral grain
• Coffee beans are macerated in hot water and the infusion is blended with vanilla, cocoa, alcohol, and sugar beet sugar
• A lush nose of espresso and Mallomars leads to a mouth-coating palate of chocolate-covered espresso beans with pleasant acidity; nostalgic notes of Ferrero Pocket Coffee candies round out the finish
• 30% ABV

Italians take their coffee pretty seriously, and you need look no further for proof than this tried-and-true coffee liqueur. Confectionary enough to enjoy neat after dinner, but balanced enough for myriad cocktailing applications, no one would judge you for immediately shaking up a quintessential Espresso Martini.