Gran Classico Bitter
Encyclopedia
Gran Classico Bitter
Gran Classico Bitter is an alcoholic apéritif/digestif
(28% alcohol - 56 proof) created following the "Italian Bitter of Turin
" recipe dating from the 1860s. This recipe, which was originally produced under the name Torino Gran Classico, had been purchased in 1925 from a Turin-based distillery by the small Swiss distillery E. Luginbühl, located near Bern.
It is made by soaking a mixture of 25 aromatic herbs and roots including wormwood
, gentian
, bitter orange peel
, rhubarb
, and hyssop
in an alcohol/water solution in order to extract their flavors and aromas. This process is similar to that which was originally employed to make medicinal tincture
s. The maceration also creates a natural golden-amber color, which is not modified with additional colorants, although many other producers that use Turin-style recipes did and still do, dye their liquors red.
The final liquid is then filtered, reduced in alcoholic strength and sweetened with sugar before bottling.
Gran Classico Bitter is consumed straight or with ice, mixed with Seltzer water or beer
and as an ingredient in cocktails, in the same fashion as other bitters
or amaros
. It is most frequently chosen as an alternative to the traditional bitter component in the legendary Negroni
cocktail and its variations.
Gran Classico Bitter is imported into the United States, as is the brand name owned worldwide, by Tempus Fugit Spirits of Petaluma
, California.
Gran Classico Bitter is an alcoholic apéritif/digestif
Aperitif
Apéritifs and digestifs are alcoholic drinks that are normally served with meals.-Apéritifs:An apéritif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. This contrasts with digestifs, which are served after a meal for the purpose of aiding digestion...
(28% alcohol - 56 proof) created following the "Italian Bitter of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
" recipe dating from the 1860s. This recipe, which was originally produced under the name Torino Gran Classico, had been purchased in 1925 from a Turin-based distillery by the small Swiss distillery E. Luginbühl, located near Bern.
It is made by soaking a mixture of 25 aromatic herbs and roots including wormwood
Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium is a species of wormwood, native to temperate regions of Eurasia and northern Africa....
, gentian
Gentian
Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...
, bitter orange peel
Bitter orange
The name "bitter orange", also known as Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, and marmalade orange, refers to a citrus tree and its fruit. Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, which is used in perfume and as a flavoring...
, rhubarb
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
, and hyssop
Hyssop
Hyssop is a genus of about 10-12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia. They are aromatic, with erect branched stems up to 60 cm long covered with fine hairs at the tips. The leaves are narrow oblong, 2–5 cm...
in an alcohol/water solution in order to extract their flavors and aromas. This process is similar to that which was originally employed to make medicinal tincture
Tincture
A tincture is an alcoholic extract or solution of a non-volatile substance . To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an ethanol percentage of at least 40-60%...
s. The maceration also creates a natural golden-amber color, which is not modified with additional colorants, although many other producers that use Turin-style recipes did and still do, dye their liquors red.
The final liquid is then filtered, reduced in alcoholic strength and sweetened with sugar before bottling.
Gran Classico Bitter is consumed straight or with ice, mixed with Seltzer water or beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and as an ingredient in cocktails, in the same fashion as other bitters
Bitters
A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
or amaros
Amaro (drink)
Amaro is a variety of Italian herbal liqueur, commonly drunk as an after-dinner digestif. It is usually bitter and sweet, sometimes syrupy, usually with an alcohol content between 16% and 35%...
. It is most frequently chosen as an alternative to the traditional bitter component in the legendary Negroni
Negroni
The Negroni cocktail is made of one part gin, one part sweet vermouth, and one part bitters, traditionally Campari. It is considered an apéritif.-History:...
cocktail and its variations.
Gran Classico Bitter is imported into the United States, as is the brand name owned worldwide, by Tempus Fugit Spirits of Petaluma
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, California.