Aiming to treat this legacy with respect, Salvatore began to produce it for personal use in 1868. He mainly served it to guests visiting his house. Only when his son Francesco began promoting Averna publicly, did the liqueur become more famous and rose to national and, eventually, international fame.

Each Amaro has a unique set of ingredients and thus varies in taste. To substitute Averna, you can try to replace it with rather sweet options like Ramazzottior Amaro Meletti. Amaro Averna: Amaro Averna is a sweet, spicy, and herbal representative with flavors of sage, juniper, licorice, and a hint of chocolate. It is a lot more bitter than Vermouth (a fortified wine) but less than Campari, for example.

Production

It was created in the Sicilian village of Caltanisetta in 1868 and was believed to have been the conceived for Salvatore Averna by the herbalist monks of an Spirito Abbey in Caltanissettis. In 1859, as a token of gratitude, the monks gave Salvatore the recipe for the infusion. In 1868 he began producing Averna for guests at his home.

Averna is one of the more approachable Amari as it's a bit sweeter and less bitter than most others. It is still quite complex in taste and carries notes of anise, chocolate, citrus fruits, licorice, gentian, myrtle, bitter oranges, juniper, and sage. Flavourwise, it’s a delicious blend of mellowness offset with an ideal balance of sweetness and bitterness (there’s a gentle touch of both) When seeking out a great amaro, Annie Shi, co-owner and beverage director of Italian restaurant Jupiter, likes to keep it local—in terms of ingredients, that is. “I look for a sense of place. Amari are typically distilled with herbs, and the best ones use local varieties that are foraged from close by,” she says. For a more classic amaro, Shi reaches for Varnelli Amaro dell’Erborista. “It has one of the best textures,” she says, noting that the amaro is a bit cloudy (due to being unfiltered) and has a wonderful roundness. “It is, however, quite bitter, so not for the faint of heart!” she exclaims.

The Womb Ritual

Italian amaro, like Averna or another herbal, caramel-flavored amaro (substitute Cynar, Amaro Nonino, or Meletti) Generally speaking, no. Amaro translates to bitter in Italian, and while some amari can certainly boast sweet notes, the overarching profiles of these herbal liqueurs tend to err more on the bitter side of things. Taste profile: One of those amari requiring fortitude to survive, Fernet-Branca tastes strongly of eucalyptus and menthol. Some of the herbs are chamomile, cinnamon, china, galanga, iris, myrrh, rhubarb, linden flowers, saffron, zedoary, and aloe ferox. ( Source.)

While amaro can certainly pair well with certain foods (cheese, for example), these herbal liqueurs are generally best enjoyed after a meal. Averna is an Italian amaro made in Sicily, Italy since 1868. It’s dark brown and the flavor is spicy, and herbal, with caramel and honey notes.Taste profile: A wide range of bittersweet flavors including orange peel, coriander, and tea. ( Source.) The recipes are as varied as the Italian landscape and as secret as nonna’s tomato sauce. The combinations of herbs, roots, flowers, and spices — determined by the plants found in different regions — are intended to stimulate the stomach and aid in digestion after a meal. For more recommendations, look at our list of Amaro Averna substitutes. Depending on the intended use, different Amaro liqueurs workwell. The Best Ways to Drink Averna Amaro