A Masterclass In Amaretto Cocktails at Eataly

‘Mi piaci, aah-haaah, mi piaci, aah-haah, tanto, tanto….’ Raffaella Carrà’s sultry, singing voice was filling my ears while I was filling up my cocktail shaker with all the ingredients to make ADRIATICO Bianco Almond Margarita.

I was on the second floor of Eataly, the world’s largest Italian food market and restaurant concept where one easily forgets that one is not in Italy but in the centre of London’s Liverpool Street area. With their three restaurants, including an alfresco one, numerous food counters, bars, a café and the market under one roof, it does not get more ‘autentico’ Italian than this.

‘Go, go, go, go, go!’ Instantly likeable Marella Batkovic, the brand ambassador for ADRIATICO Amaretto was cheering me and the others to shake our cocktail shakers with all the might, if we wanted to create a good deal of foam for a Bianco Amaretto Sour. No one wanted to fail and it became a ‘foam-off’.

It was time to swap this vegan certified, unique, silky and white, ‘boozy almond milk’ liqueur Bianco Amaretto for its more serious version – Roasted Amaretto.

Just like its softer ‘bianco’ version, ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto is one of the only amarettos made with real, handpicked Italian ‘Filippo Cea’ almonds from Puglia, with 50% less sugar added than other amaretto brands. The final amaretto is blended with cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and finished with a pinch of sea salt from the salt flats next to the Adriatic Sea.

I now must confess: I don’t like sweet alcohol. I was bracing myself for that traditionally overly sweet amaretto taste so well-remembered from my drinking past but this Amaretto is nothing like I have tasted before. I even bravely sipped it on its own, no ice and no Chinotto soda and….I liked it! My face stayed entirely grimace-free.

I even dare to say that it tastes – to me at least – like a cognac, without the ‘heavy’ in it. By the way, add 30ml of cognac to 30ml Roasted Amaretto and you made yourself a Roasted Amaretto French Connection.

My final attempt to impress myself with my cocktail-mixing skills was mixing a Roasted Amaretto Negrotto. Gin is not for me but I can see this being perfectly popular this summer. Or any summer. Or even in winter. OK, all the seasons, gin lovers.

Apart from the tasty content of ADRIATICO Amaretto, it’s hard to miss its tasteful bottle design. The hexagonal shape of the bottle is inspired by the medieval architecture of Castel del Monte, the design of which follows the Golden Ratio of ‘divine’ ergonomics. Take me to Puglia now, please!

If you can’t make it to Puglia, you can immerse yourself in this new generation of award-winning amarettos experience by:

1. Enjoying a refreshing Chinotto cocktail (£10) at Eataly’s Pasta & Pizza Restaurant

2. Sipping a delicious Bianco & Grappa cocktail (£10) at the Terra Restaurant.

3. Stopping at ADRIATICO Amaretto Summer Corner on the second floor of Eataly throughout June for a chance to taste their Roasted and Bianco Amaretto neat or in a granita with the Bianco Amaretto.

Zuzana Ritchie

Since moving to London in her twenties, Zuzana accidentally developed something of a multiple personality career disorder: From radio broadcasting days at BBC World Service to the world of magazines at the former IPC Media publishing house. After leaving the corporate world behind, she could be found at the photo shoots as a make-up artist or in the recording studios as voice-over artist. These days she uses her make-up artist background to talk and write mostly about her favourite subject: Beauty. Her other favourite subjects are gender equality, every colour ever invented, portrait artists, photography, Marvel, red wine and the importance of humour.

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