Amaro Rupes, born in Roccella Ionica, was awarded gold and the nomination of the best liqueur in the world at World Liqueur Awards 2020. A prestigious recognition for this Calabrian product, attributed by a jury of international experts. This is the tasting note: “classic to the nose and taste, with herbal nuances, it leaves a composite softness on the palate. Hints of chocolate with ginger and a contained bitterness make it rich and tempting ".
The "Gold"To amaro Rupes, is - as stated by the company's marketing manager, Anselmo Scaramuzzino - "An award that enriches a simple and complex product, just like our territory is". A product that has its roots in centuries of Calabrian tradition.
The history of Amaro Rupes
It all began around the first half of the 800th century, at the foot of the famous cliff of Roccella Ionica, formerly known as Amphisia. In this isolated place, a young man named Vincenzo, progenitor of the Errigo family, distils the medicinal herbs at night which he collects at the foot of the rock wall and secretly sells the infusions to his most trusted friends. The ingredients used and the way he makes his liqueur are contained in a secret recipe, handed down to him by his dear mother.
One night, while he is intent on distilling, he meets Pietro, a young local lawyer, who, a few steps from his abusive distillery, meets with other friends to discuss in the darkness of the night. They are a group of patriotic intellectuals, precursors of the Carbonari uprisings. Vincenzo, who at first is suspicious, agrees to let young people try his infusion, never asking what they talk about during those meetings. Sometimes, in the distance, he hears Pietro calling the liqueur "Rupes", while together with his friends he raises his glass exclaiming "Long live the freedom", "Long live the Fatherland".
The recipe for Amaro Rupes, a secret kept for four generations
Shortly thereafter, Pietro and his friends are publicly executed, but Vincenzo cannot give an explanation to those deaths. He jealously guards the secret of those nocturnal encounters and, out of fear, he stops producing the Rupes. Time passes and, before dying, at the end of the XNUMXth century, she snatches a promise from her son, after telling him about those young people and their dream of freedom. The recipe for the amaro will have to be handed down, but the story of those meetings will have to remain a secret for at least a century. The promise is kept and the recipe is jealously guarded and handed down from father to son for four generations.
Amaro Rupes, made with thirty medicinal herbs
If this important entrepreneurial reality exists in Locride and if Rupes has won such a prestigious award, it is above all due to Vincenzo's intuition. But not only. It is also thanks to those who, for years, have successfully carried out this enterprise: the great-grandson Vincenzo, who passed away last year, and his two sons, Francesco and Luca.
The unique, unmistakable and balanced flavor and the intense aroma make Rupes a bitter that is also appreciated overseas. Made with thirty local officinal and aromatic herbs, it has a strong and refined taste. It is still obtained today with the old artisanal method of cold maceration of the ingredients, among which they stand out the wild fennel, the roots of Calabrian licorice and laurel, which give it freshness, persistence of taste, character and pleasantness on the palate. The cold method involves the infusion of a hydroalcoholic solution, for at least twenty days, in large steel vats, with high quality medicinal herbs and the subsequent reduction of the alcohol content, by adding water and sugar.
A digestive with an unmistakable taste
Maceration allows you to fully extract the properties of the herbs, in addition to the bitter active ingredients that stimulate digestion and promote intestinal functions (as evidenced by several scientific studies). Amaro Rupes, with an amber brown color, should be enjoyed at room temperature or frozen. Excellent after meals or as an aperitif, it is also pleasant as an elongated drink with seltzer and ice. The bottle, with its essential and elegant design, and its refined logo, identify the content from the noble past. A bitter symbol of the Calabrian tradition. A reason for pride for this beautiful and wild land, of which Rupes contains precious aromas and flavors.
(Photo Rupes the Amaro Digestivo Facebook page)
