Averna
Averna is a bitter liqueur from Sicily, 29% ABV on Difford’s Guide’s listing, made in Caltanissetta since 1868, when, by its maker’s account, the monk Frà Girolamo of the Abbey of Santo Spirito gave its recipe to Salvatore Averna. It is dark, sweet first and bitter at the finish, with notes its maker gives as bitter orange, liquorice, myrtle, juniper, rosemary and sage. In a Black Manhattan it takes the vermouth's place, and in our Brooklyn it covers for Amer Picon.
Quick Facts
Away from light and heat with the cap on. It does not need refrigerating.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Averna
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bitter orange and liquorice with dark caramel, herbs behind, and bitterness that waits until the sweetness has passed.
An abbey recipe, sold since 1868
Averna's origin is dated and named. Its maker’s history says monks of the Abbey of Santo Spirito at Caltanissetta created the recipe early in the nineteenth century, and that in 1868 the monk Frà Girolamo gave it to the textile merchant Salvatore Averna. Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, describes an infusion of aromatic herbs, dried flowers, spices and liquorice.
Sweet first, bitter last
At 29% ABV Averna is mid-range among amari for strength. Its sweetness arrives first, carried by caramel and bitter orange, and the herbal bitterness comes at the finish. That order makes it easier going than a menthol-heavy fernet: it reads as a dark, sweet liqueur until the end of the sip.
Averna against sweet vermouth and Fernet-Branca (strengths from Difford’s Guide, a secondary source, for Averna and from Fernet-Branca’s US importer; sugar minimums from Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and Regulation (EU) No 251/2014; the vermouth strength is typical, and bitterness and keeping are ours)
Averna
- Category
- Liqueur
- Strength
- 29% ABV
- Sugar
- 100g/L or more (liqueur minimum)
- Bitterness
- Moderate, at the finish
- Once opened
- A year or more, capped
Sweet vermouth
- Category
- Aromatised wine
- Strength
- About 16% ABV
- Sugar
- 130g/L or more if labelled sweet
- Bitterness
- Low to moderate
- Once opened
- Three or four weeks in the fridge
Fernet-Branca
- Category
- Sold as a bitter
- Strength
- 39% ABV
- Sugar
- Low
- Bitterness
- High, with menthol
- Once opened
- A year or more, sealed
| Bottle | Category | Strength | Sugar | Bitterness | Once opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Averna | Liqueur | 29% ABV | 100g/L or more (liqueur minimum) | Moderate, at the finish | A year or more, capped |
| Sweet vermouth | Aromatised wine | About 16% ABV | 130g/L or more if labelled sweet | Low to moderate | Three or four weeks in the fridge |
| Fernet-Branca | Sold as a bitter | 39% ABV | Low | High, with menthol | A year or more, sealed |
It takes the vermouth's place
The Black Manhattan keeps the proportions of our Manhattan and changes one bottle: Averna where the sweet vermouth was. That makes it darker, more bitter and sweeter, so it wants a full stir.
In the Brooklyn, 7.5ml of Averna replaces Amer Picon, the orange bitter from France named in the 1908 recipe Difford’s Guide reproduces from Jack’s Manual.
Keeping and serving
In our experience, as a 29% liqueur it keeps like a spirit, and an opened bottle needs no refrigeration to stay good for a year and longer if capped. Serve it neat in a small glass after dinner, or over one cube; very cold, the herbs go quiet.
Using Averna
Usage
Neat after dinner, or over a single cube. In cocktails it replaces sweet vermouth outright in the Black Manhattan, 20ml to 50ml of rye, and a 7.5ml dose covers for the hard-to-find Amer Picon in our Brooklyn.
Pro Tip
Give a Black Manhattan a proper 20 to 30 second stir. It holds more sugar than the vermouth version, and dilution lets the herbs show through the sweetness.
Top Tips
- In a Black Manhattan, swap it for all of the vermouth, not half.
- Drink it cool, not ice-cold, when neat; deep cold mutes the herbs.
- In our experience an opened bottle needs no fridge; a capped bottle in a dark cupboard is enough.
Possible Substitutions
- Sweet Vermouth: With a dash of aromatic bitters: lighter, an emergency only
Production Method
By its maker’s account, herbs, roots and spices infused with the essential oils of bitter oranges and lemons; 29% ABV on Difford’s Guide’s listing. Its maker calls the recipe secret.
History & Context
Averna’s own history says monks of the Abbey of Santo Spirito at Caltanissetta created the recipe early in the nineteenth century, and that in 1868 the monk Frà Girolamo gave it to the textile merchant Salvatore Averna, who began making it for his guests. The Oxford Companion, a secondary source, calls the monastic origin company lore that cannot be independently confirmed, since the last monk at the abbey died in 1904.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Averna?
What does Averna taste like?
Is Averna very bitter?
What is a Black Manhattan?
Does Averna need to be refrigerated?
How strong is Averna?
What can I use instead of Averna?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- Amaro Averna, “La nostra storia” (producer’s history, in Italian).
- Amaro Averna, “Prodotto” (producer’s product page, in Italian).
- Difford’s Guide, “Averna Amaro Siciliano” (secondary source: alc./vol. 29%; an infusion of aromatic herbs, dried flowers, spices and liquorice; created in 1868 for Salvatore Averna).
- Difford’s Guide, “Black Manhattan” (secondary source).
- Difford’s Guide, “Brooklyn” (secondary source; reproduces Grohusko’s 1908 Jack’s Manual recipe).
- Branca USA, “Fernet-Branca” (importer’s site for the producer: 39% alc./vol.).
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 251/2014, Article 6 (retained)”.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Leo Leuci), “Averna, or Amaro Averna” (secondary source: founded in 1868 by Salvatore Averna; the abbey story “cannot be independently confirmed”; sold to Gruppo Campari in 2014).
Made with Averna
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026