Review: Rossi d’Angera Genziana Spitz
Genziana Spitz is an Italian-born blend of “hydrated alcohol, sugar, gentian herb, and genuine vegetable natural substances,” per the label, anyway, but what it really is is a lighter, sweeter style of aperitif with its bitterness clearly evident, yet never overwhelming.
The distillery offers some additional details, which go like this:
This Gentian Root liqueur is based on the French habit of using this wild meadow and mountain pasture rhizome for an aperitif. It can be served “neat” with a squeeze of lemon over ice to bring out the full flavor or as it is more often served here in the US, as part of a cocktail mix. It is lighter than Amaro in color. The Gentian Root is a perennial plant that lives below an altitude of 7200 foot level or 2200 meters in the mountains of southern Europe. It has been such a popular herb that it is now a protected species that one cannot harvest in the wild. We use sustainable and ecologically sensitive gentian root.
Let’s give Spitz a try.
The nose exudes that classic gentian character, bitter and lightly peppery, with elements of cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in the mix. The palate is sweeter than the promise of a gentian-driven spirit might indicate, a light brown sugar note dusted with more cloves and ginger, with lingering, Fernet-adjacent bitterness soon following. A spritz of expressed orange peel gives the finish some needed acidity, while a note of cinnamon and yet another reprise of ginger keeps the dessert theme popping.
Think of it as Fernet Lite, or Averna adjacent, and you’re on the right track. The more I sip on it (neat), the more I gravitate to it.
40 proof.
A- / $30
Rossi d'Angera Genziana Spitz
$30
