Some people are just beginning to discover the sublime marriage of bitter and sweet as in amaro. Many others have been seduced by our cocktail heritage and in their search for better ingredients created a market for more flavourful and interesting vermouths. Amari are distillate based and vermouths are wines but both involve infusions of aromatic plants. The key to understanding these increasingly important categories is familiarity with the properties of the botanicals. In this seminar, Andrew Quady, creator of Vya Vermouths, will guide participants through a journey where the organoleptic properties of certain key botanicals will be experienced. Then, under Andrew’s direction, seminar participants will create their own aromatized wines. This presentation is owned and copywritten by Andrew Quady, 2013

1. Infuse me, baby:
aromatized wines and amari
Andrew Quady

2. Infuse Me Baby !
Infusions
 Special group of alcoholic
beverages
 Complex flavor profile
 Bitterness offset by
sweetness
 Extraction of flavors from
botanicals

3.  1876 – first made in Barcelona
 Herbs, fruits and roots are
macerated in fortified wine
 Flavor elements:
 Christmas cookie spices
 Lemon
 Cola
 Clove
 Licorice
 Tobacco
 Cinnamon
 Orange
 Lemon
 Ginger
 Mint
 Bittersweet
 Earthy
 Tannic finish

4.  1999 – first made by Andrew Quady,
Madera, California
 Maceration: herbs, seeds, stems, roots and barks
 Fortified wine: Orange Muscat, Tinta Roriz and
California dry white
 Flavor elements:
 Christmas cookie spices
 Cinnamon
 Clove
 Orange
 Ginger
 Baked apple
 Honey
 Rich
 Spicy
 Sweet and bitter

5.  1786 – the first Vermouth
made by Benedetto Carpano
 “Selected Mountain Herbs”
 Macerated in Muscat, Dry White and
Southern Italian Red
 Flavor elements:
 Vanilla
 Cocoa
 Spices
 Almonds
 Anise
 Toffee
 Mint
 Bitter marmalade
 Dates
 Red wine
 Plums
 Rich
 Figs
 Bitter finish
 Orange peel

6.  1885 – Amaro first made by Stanislaus Cobianchi
 Grape Brandy infused with botanicals such as:
 Herbs, flowers, aromatic bark, citrus peel, and
spices
 Sweetened with sugar and aged
 Amaro Montenegro
 Purported to have over 40 - mostly secret
 Said to include vanilla, orange peel, black licorice
and saffron
 Tasting Notes:
 Orange peel, fresh coriander, red cherry, pekoe
tea, cucumber, tangerine, mandarin, Christmas
pie, nutmeg, honey, dried blood orange
peel, treacle, rich sweet, slightly bitter finish

7.  1891 –first made by Giulio Cocchi
 Nearest contemporary drink to original Kina Lillet
 Used in Vesper Martini and Corpse Reviver #2 cocktails
 Fortified Moscato d’Asti infused with
 Gentian, Cinchona bark, Orange peels and Herbs
 Sweetened with sugar
 Tasting Notes:
 Orange zest, orange flavor, elderflower, baked apple
and pear, honey, citrus
 Bitter/sweet balance
 “Bitter bite” from cinchona places it in category of
chinati or quinquinas

8. Flavor Exploration
Botanicals in Moscato Base Wine
To taste the botanicals use 10 ml base wine.
Proportion of botanicals given on following slides.
Moscato base wine
 16.5% alcohol
 Specific gravity equal to 16.2 ml sugar in 100 ml water (16.2 Brix)
 Blend of Orange Muscat and Muscat Blanc (Moscato Bianco)
Extracts
 Prepared as a 10% extract in 55% alcohol
 40 drops = 1 ml

9. Cinchona Bark
Cinchona officinalis
 Medicinal plant
 One of several Cinchona species
 Used for the production of quinine, an
anti-fever agent
 Specially in the prevention and treatment
of malaria
 Cinchona calisaya is the tree most
cultivated for quinine production
Quinine
 Natural white crystalline alkaloid
 Fever-reducing, antimalarial, analgesic
(painkilling), and anti-inflammatory
properties
 Known for its bitter taste.
Proportion: 10 drops in 10 ml base wine to
taste the bitterness

10. Gentian
Gentian root is a common beverage
flavoring for bitters.
 The soft drink Moxie contains
gentian root.
 The French liqueur Suze is made
with gentian.
 Americano aperitifs contain
gentian root for bitter flavoring.
 Ingredient in the Italian liqueur
Aperol
Proportion: 5 drops in 10 ml base wine

11. Cinnamon
Spice from the Inner bark of
several trees from the genus
Cinnamomum
Used in both sweet and savory
foods.
Pungent taste and scent comes
from cinnamic aldehyde or
cinnamaldehyde.
Used in gin and vermouth
Featured ingredient in
Cinnamon Schnapps and
Liquers
Proportion: 5 drops in 10 ml
base wine
Harvesting cinnamon in India, circa 1579

12. Bitter & Sweet
Orange
Bitter Orange ~ Citrus aurantium
 Hybrid of Citrus maxima (pomelo) and
Citrus reticulata (mandarin)
 Many bitter orange varieties
 Seville variety used in marmalade
 Used as a vermouth ingredient
 Important in liqueurs
 Grand Marnier is blend of cognac, extract
of bitter orange and sugar
Sweet Orange ~ Citrus sinensis
 Orange blossom fragrant character
 Dried peelings sometimes combined with
bitter orange in aromatized wines and
liqueur formulas.
Proportion: 5 drops in 10 ml base wine

13. Lets make a Quina or “Chinato” Americano
Tasting levels in 10ml base
Cinchona: 10 drops
Gentian: 5 drops
Cinnamon: 5 drops
Bitter Orange: 5 drops
Sweet Orange: 5 drops
Suggested formula for an
Americano type: “chinato”
10 mls base wine:
• Cinchona: 20 drops
• Gentian: 2 drops
• Cinnamon: 2 drops
• Bitter Orange: 6 drops
• Sweet Orange: 6 drops
Now you can make your Vesper Martini or Corpse Reviver # 2….