#3 | Drup Anima Di Olive Amaro
Origin: Italy (Sicily) / 33% / Price: ca. 35€
Yes, the name in the title probably led you to the right assumptions: Amaro x Olive. Simply combining two great things doesn't always lead to great results, but it really worked here.
But let's take a step back, even if this time it won't be the most detailed Amaro review with all kinds of background information. Why? Because the Amaro and the other spirits in Drupa's range have apparently been discontinued for a while, which is a great pity. I myself had ordered this very attractive bottle to share with like-minded people because of the interesting combination of Amaro and olive. Then, in hindsight, when researching for the article, I realized that the shop from which I ordered it is also the only one where you can still find them. The Amaro is already sold out, two other liqueurs (also exciting and linked here as a tip) are only available with a few remaining bottles. The brand's Facebook presence has also been dead for 2 years, unfortunately there is nothing else left. I can't even find the brand behind it, “Drupa”, which presumably has something to do with olive oil production. Although there are several olive oil companies with the term in their name, none of them have a logo similar to the one on the Anima Di Olive bottle or have other liqueurs in their portfolio… What a shame, but I now have a collector's item, even if it's almost empty.
So just a quick look at the exterior: As already mentioned, I like the bottle a lot, small, square, atypical and very high-quality, with heavy glass. It has a very harmonious design, gold accents, turquoise, perhaps a little too ornate lettering, but all in all top product design, even if it doesn't seem to have helped much concerning the brand’s success.
What we have here is an Amaro where not only the taste, but also the character of the body and mouthfeel is changed by the addition of the olive. It is particularly silky, which makes it perfect for stirred drinks in which you want to add a subtle, culinary note instead of what standard Amaros would add.
Nose:
One of the most “harmonious” Amaro aromas I experienced yet, what does that mean? Well, you might recognize it from pure olive oil, distinctive but silky and elegant, not loud but striking, and that's how it comes through in the Amaro. As you can see from the points in the table above, it is not extremely loud, but very characteristic and has an elegant effect on the nose. Everything is wrapped in a velvet cloak of olive oil, behind it wormwood, verbena, gentian, notes of ginger, cinnamon, relatively balsamic too, which is not surprising with the olive as a special ingredient.
Taste:
Wormwood herb quite present and concise, fresh ginger, gentian and then in the middle part the olive already comes in very clearly, black as well as green ones, including the seeds. At the same time they smoothen the whole product just like in the nose, with a little saliva much of the bitter notes fade away, cinchona bark.
Finish:
Cinchona bark, a little allspice and olive pits, with subtle gentian, medium length, but the creamy note of the olives remains warm in the throat for a long time
