Amaro Nonino
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia is a Friulian bitter liqueur at 35% ABV by its maker’s figure: herbs, spices, fruit, berries and roots enriched with the Nonino family’s barrel-aged grape distillate rather than grappa. It is one of the four equal measures in the Paper Plane, and its maker’s product page serves it at room temperature or on the rocks with an orange slice.
Quick Facts
On a shelf at room temperature, capped, out of the sun. No refrigeration needed.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Amaro Nonino
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Orange zest and bitter marmalade with thyme and a little menthol, sweet and bitter in balance, then pepper, liquorice and a cocoa finish.
It began on grappa and moved to grape distillate
The amaro started in 1933 as Antonio Nonino’s Amaro Carnia, mountain herbs infused in his own grappa. Today’s Quintessentia uses ÙE instead: a distillate of whole grapes, not of the pomace grappa is made from, aged more than 12 months in Limousin and Nevers barriques and small ex-sherry casks before it goes in. That aged grape spirit helps explain why the bottle tastes rounder than its bitterness would lead you to expect.
A liqueur at 35%
Its maker calls it a liquore, a liqueur, and at 35% ABV it is stronger than many amari: Averna is 29% on a UK wholesaler’s listing and Cynar 16.5% on another. Under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 a liqueur carries a minimum of 100g of sugar per litre, so the softness comes from sugar as well as aged spirit. Its maker’s product file describes the colour as amber rather than dark, and the taste as balanced, with herbs and citrus to the fore.
Amaro Nonino and its neighbours on the shelf (strengths from Nonino’s product page, LWC’s UK listings for Averna and Cynar and Fernet-Branca’s US importer; flavours and uses are ours)
Amaro Nonino
- Strength
- 35% ABV
- Leading flavours
- Orange, herbs, liquorice
- Bitterness
- Moderate, late
- Typical use
- Paper Plane; neat after dinner
Averna
- Strength
- 29% ABV
- Leading flavours
- Bitter orange, liquorice, caramel
- Bitterness
- Moderate
- Typical use
- Neat; in place of sweet vermouth
Cynar
- Strength
- 16.5% ABV
- Leading flavours
- Artichoke, herbs
- Bitterness
- Moderate, earthy
- Typical use
- Long with soda
Fernet-Branca
- Strength
- 39% ABV
- Leading flavours
- Menthol, bitter roots
- Bitterness
- High
- Typical use
- In small measures; with cola
| Bottle | Strength | Leading flavours | Bitterness | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaro Nonino | 35% ABV | Orange, herbs, liquorice | Moderate, late | Paper Plane; neat after dinner |
| Averna | 29% ABV | Bitter orange, liquorice, caramel | Moderate | Neat; in place of sweet vermouth |
| Cynar | 16.5% ABV | Artichoke, herbs | Moderate, earthy | Long with soda |
| Fernet-Branca | 39% ABV | Menthol, bitter roots | High | In small measures; with cola |
The Paper Plane is built around it
Sam Ross's Paper Plane is the cocktail most closely tied to the bottle: bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon juice in four equal measures, shaken. The amaro links the vanilla of the bourbon to the orange of the Aperol. A harsher amaro in its place gives a drink that no longer balances.
Neat, on ice, or warm
Its maker serves it at room temperature as a digestive, on the rocks with orange as an aperitif, and hot as a punch. As a spirit-strength liqueur it needs no fridge, and in our experience an opened bottle keeps its character for a year or more on the shelf.
Using Amaro Nonino
Usage
As an equal partner in the Paper Plane: 30ml alongside the same of bourbon, Aperol and lemon, shaken. Alone after dinner at room temperature, or on ice with orange before a meal, the two ways its producer serves it.
Pro Tip
Give a Paper Plane a hard, short shake, 10 to 12 seconds, then strain. Extra dilution dulls the amaro's orange and herbs, and the drink should taste bright, not watery.
Top Tips
- Store it like a spirit: upright, sealed, out of the light, no fridge needed.
- Drink it neat at room temperature to taste the herbs; ice and orange make it an aperitif.
- Keep the Paper Plane's four measures equal; the amaro is the middle term between bourbon and Aperol.
Possible Substitutions
- Averna: Darker and more caramel-led; changes the Paper Plane
Production Method
An infusion of herbs, spices, fruit, berries and roots, enriched with ÙE grape distillate aged more than 12 months in Limousin and Nevers barriques and ex-sherry casks, bottled at 35% ABV. Its maker’s product page describes it as all natural and vegan friendly.
History & Context
By the family’s own account the Noninos have distilled since 1897. On the family’s own history, Antonio Nonino made Amaro Carnia in 1933 from Friulian mountain herbs infused in his own grappa, and Silvia Nonino later added botanicals from distant lands to make Amaro del Friuli. In 1992, by the family’s own account, Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta Nonino replaced the grappa with ÙE, the family’s barrel-aged grape distillate, and the amaro became Quintessentia.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Amaro Nonino?
What does Amaro Nonino taste like?
Does Amaro Nonino need to be refrigerated?
What does amaro mean in English?
Is Amaro Nonino made with grappa?
What can I use instead of Amaro Nonino?
How strong is Amaro Nonino?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- Nonino, “Amaro Nonino Quintessentia” (producer’s product page).
- Nonino, “Amaro Nonino Quintessentia: il liquore di soli ingredienti naturali” (producer’s product page, in Italian).
- Nonino, “Amaro Nonino Quintessentia product file” (producer’s product file (PDF)).
- Nonino, “Nonino History”.
- LWC, “Averna Amaro 70cl” (UK wholesaler listing: Alcohol By Volume 29%; producer Campari UK; full body and smooth taste).
- LWC, “Cynar Liqueur 70cl” (UK wholesaler listing (16.5% ABV)).
- Branca USA, “Fernet-Branca” (importer’s site for the producer, Fratelli Branca: 39% alc./vol.).
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Leo Leuci), “Averna, or Amaro Averna” (secondary source: founded in Sicily in 1868; Sicilian oranges and lemons added to the bitter herbs and roots, “pleasant and sweet to the palate”; sold to Gruppo Campari in 2014).
Made with Amaro Nonino
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026