A guide to Cynar and how to serve

Cynar – Production and Tasting Notes

Cynar is an artichoke based bitter sweet liqueur known for its versatility and distinctive flavour – and enriched by a secret infusion of 13 herbs and plants. The most characteristic among them are artichoke leaves from which the name of the drink derives – – ’Cynar Scolymus’ being the botanic definition of artichoke. Cynar’s unique flavour is achieved through a two stage infusion process: First – all herbs are charged in a percolator – where they are continuously infused with a specific mixture of alcohol and water. This process releases the herbs aromas and colours – exploiting the alcohols extractive power. After the first filtration, the extract is then batched to rest for at least 1 month – to obtain the perfect marriage of flavours. The Cynar extract is mixed with water, sugar and caramel in accordance to the recipe – to obtain Cynar’s unique dark amber brown colour. Finally, the mix is balanced – for a perfectly woody bittersweet taste of aromatic herbs, artichoke and caramel – – ready to be bottled, labelled and enjoyed.

Cynar – Perfect serve

Traditionally, Cynar was consumed after dinner – or as an aperitif. Recently though, amaro mixology has developed into new bartending trends around the world. The reason for this is its versatility. Cynar is the perfect ingredient for many cocktails – thanks to its balance of bittersweet herbal flavours. It’s ideal for classic long drinks mixed with soda water, grapefruit or coke – and is used to change the taste profile of classic cocktails like the Manhattan, Crusta or Old Fashioned. Even adding a splash of soda water with 60ml of Cynar can turn the amaro into a perfect pre-dinner drink. One of the most interesting classics to try for yourself is the ‘Sour Cocktail’ – which blends the complex, herbaceous flavour of Cynar 70 with sugar syrup, lemon juice and egg white. See where Cynar amaro takes you. Salute!