Welcome back to the blog! In this article I tell you about Montenegro, the most famous Bolognese bitter in the world. We will go to see in detail its history and the characteristics that have made it one of the most appreciated and known bitters.
History
Montenegro was born in 1885 by the Bolognese Stanislao Cobianchi who, after years of travel and research, he discovers new flavors that allow him to create the bitter Montenegro.
The travels have allowed him to discover the different continents of the world and with them different spices and other unique botanicals. The name derives from the origins of the queen of Italy of the time to which amaro Montenegro was paid homage.
Stanislao is considered by experts to be one of the seers in the liqueur sector as thanks to his travels he has managed to transform his knowledge into a unique product.
The same amaro was also praised by Gabriele d'Annunzio who called it the 'liquor of virtues'.
The recipe of amaro Montenegro
The recipe of amaro Montenegro, like those of all other products, it is secret! The inventor himself wrote the recipe in his personal diary which he kept locked in the safe for fear that someone might copy it.
Today the people who know the recipe are very few and among these there is the master herbalist or the production manager who checks that all the steps are carried out perfectly.
The ingredients
Inside they are 40 botanicals that are divided into 4 continents, the same ones in which Stanislao Cobianchi traveled.
The botanicals used are divided into three different parts:
- Citrus
- Dolce
- Herbaceous
Among the different ingredients some of those used are:
- Orange
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Artemisia
- Marjoram
- Coriander
- Origan
the 7 notes of bitter Montenegro
the 40 botanicals used for the creation of Montenegro are first divided into twelve different 'essences’ which mixed together make up the six main aromatic notes.
- Bitter and herbaceous
- Floral and spicy
- Sweet and toasted
- Fresh and balsamic
- Fruity and vegetable
- Warm and tropical
The seventh aromatic note
A seventh note is added to these six aromatic notes, premium call, that is, the one that characterizes the final taste of amaro Montenegro. One liter of this last aromatic note is enough to characterize the taste of 15.000 liters of finished product.
This seventh note is the result of the micro distillation of five secret aromatic herbs and is prepared in a reserved area of the company which can only be accessed by the master herbalist.
Production
BOILING AND MACERATION: The herbs are chopped and mixed with water. Subsequently we move on to a maceration process that uses a hydro-alcoholic mixture necessary to extract the aromatic components necessary to flavor the amaro. The maceration process has a duration that varies from 20 ai 30 days.
DISTILLATION: the flavored hydroalcoholic mixture is distilled to separate the alcoholic part from the water and thus concentrate its aromatic characteristics.
To complete the production process they are made 12 essences that, blend together, they will create the 6 aromatic notes of amaro. These six notes will be mixed together with alcohol, water and sugar to create the right balance of the product.
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