Knowing the best substitute for amaro nonino will save your cocktails, drinks, and recipes on the spot. Since, amaro nonino is not always easy to find and seems too expensive to experience for the first time, you need to go for an alternative.
Amaro nonino has a delicate bittersweet flavor with underlying citrusy caramelized taste hints. Among its other amari cousins like Varnelli, Lucano, and Tosolini, nonino is a distinctly flavorful and amazingly vibrant drink.
When getting short on amaro nonino, you can replace it easily in cocktails and desserts where a few or more shots are enough to make the recipe incredible. Let’s know all of those amazing amaro nonino alternatives, along with their final flavor and ways of using them.
Amaro Nonino Substitute
Amaro nonino is a refreshing drink that caresses the palate with a nice bittersweet flavor and proposes a sophisticated blend of floral and fruity taste notes.
Its flavor profile feels like a combination of citrus sweet fruits along with a wide variety of herbs and spices. Sometimes, nonino hits like a real combo of vanilla, caramel, and honey.
While substituting amaro nonino, make sure your best choice resembles nonino in terms of flavor. This way, you can better compare flavors and choose the closest substitutes as well.
Practically, the liquors of the Amaro family like Vernelli, Tosolini, Meletti, and Averna are more suitable substitutions for nonino. But if these are also not available to you, go for Cynar, Gammel Dansk, Bonal, Vermouth, and Chartreuse.
Whereas, Chinotto is more specifically a non-alcoholic drink, that also works great in many cases.
1. Vernelli Dell Erborista Amaro
Try this alcoholic beverage in place of amaro nonino and you’ll explore the closest flavor profile of both. Amaro varnelli is an excellent combination of herbs, spices, pure honey, and rhubarb.
This sparkling drink gives a broad spectrum of flavor notes ranging from floral and fruity sweet to spicy or herbal sensations, like nonino. And thus, it will complement the cocktail recipes well if used in the right proportions.
Different bartenders and super stores carry this light-bodied, dry, and really complex amaro in their liquor collection.
The use of quality ingredients while the brewing process makes amari drinks more expensive than other alternatives. So, you need to pay more for an exotic amari flavor than other ordinary liquors.
The best thing about varnelli amaro is the lower alcoholic content, 21%. So, you can easily introduce varnelli amaro to routine drinks and fruit juices to enjoy a gentle sip.
2. Amaro Tosolini
Amaro tosolini is also a great option when it becomes hard to find amaro nonino. Drink the very first shot of tosolini and you will find it much closer to your beloved drink.
Amaro tosolini offers a very similar bittersweet and herbal flavor to your refreshing concoctions. On the whole, the final mouthfeel of tosolini is a decent blend of tart zesty and citrusy flavor notes that come from stewed fruits and honey.
Imagine your beloved cocktail recipe with a fortified, full-bodied, rich, and aromatic amaro tosolini. It will definitely revive you with its unique palate-tingling flavor and 30% alcohol content.
As an alternative to amaro nonino, it goes great in cocktails and other typical summer drinks.
3. Meletti
Another fascinating drink that you may have right in your liquor cabinet is meletti amaro. But in contrast to other amaro liquors, meletti has a distinct flavor profile that’s not too sweet, light or deep bitter.
Meletti makes you feel like a balanced, rich flavor of caramel, chocolate, and a variety of spices and herbs.
Meletti earns its name as a great digestif which means that it’s perfect for sipping after a meal, similar to nonino.
When enjoyed straight, meletti flavor is full-bodied, hovering between herbal and medicinal edges. A decent cool blend of cinnamon, dried cloves, dried saffron, and red licorice lingers on the palate, and fades until your last dram.
As a unique component of cocktails, amaro meletti spices up things with all brighter herbal and floral notes along with caramelized sweet core hints.
Amaro meletti contains 32% alcohol that lies closer to amaro nonino. In other words, meletti is the best amaro nonino substitute for those who want to enjoy amaro drinks without taking an overly bitter sip.
Drink it either straight or after mixing it with other liquors or prepare a nice refreshing cocktail instead of amaro nonino.
4. Averna
Amaro Averna is another captivating substitution for amaro nonino. It is a complex dark-colored drink that fills the mouth with sweet, bitter, woody, citrusy, and even more sophisticated flavor sensations.
Averna contains 29% alcohol, nearer to amaro nonino, and is usually served as a digestif. When sipped straight over rocks, it’s smooth on the tongue and gentle on the palate.
Unlike other amari drinks, Averna has a central sweet, citrusy, and herbal flavor followed by a light bitter crisp, it not sticks around the palate longer.
Besides, amaro Averna is a great cocktail mixer, rich flavorful companion for low-proof liquors, and a base counterpart instead of amaro nonino.
5. Cynar
Cynar is another Amari liquor that resembles amaro nonino in many ways. Typically, Cynar is served as an aperitif, just like nonino.
The manufacturing process involves a dozen of botanical herbs and spices. That’s a reason, Cynar ends up with a complex flavor profile of pronounced sweet, bitter, and floral hints.
Amaro enthusiasts know that Cynar is a low proof, less potent, and intensive liquor than its other amari counterparts. In terms of alcohol content, Cynar is available in various proof versions to give you a superb wine experience.
You can enjoy this unique amaro nonino substitute either neat, over rocks, or after blending it with club soda. It’s perfect for replacing amaro nonino in signature cocktails and delightful concoctions.
6. Gammel Dansk
Gammel Dansk isn’t an amari liquor, but a Danish bitter resembles much with amaro nonino in both terms of flavor and color. If no amari liquor seems on a budget or hard to get, try this fantastic drink.
Gammel Dansk is a great non-amari replacement for nonino and sooth you the most. In fact, it’s more complex, flavorful, and bitter as it involves a wide array of botanical herbs and barks.
Gammel Dansk is a fortified, herbal, and aromatic bitter liquor with 38% alcohol content, more than amaro nonino. A neat shot of Gammel Dansk in happy mornings really works wonders than anything else.
Similar to amaro nonino, Dansk bitter is great for making thanksgiving cocktails and refreshing drinks. Moreover, you can also serve it as a stunning aperitif or a digestif for a savory mainstay.
7. Bonal Gentiane Quina
Bonal is an easily available liquor with a fortified flavor profile that’s closer to amaro nonino. Its pronounced and rich flavor comes from Gentiane, Quinine bark, and herbs.
Overall, it’s a deep and spicy substitution that is darker in color as compared to amaro nonino. Hence, it isn’t a great option for cocktails, but rather the best choice as an aperitif.
When you are on budget but still want to enjoy a bitter amari flavor, Gentiane Quina can save you. It’s a low proof less alcoholic (16%) liquor fortified with fruits, berries, and herbs.
The complex fruity, spicy, and bitter Gentiane flavor blends well with other liquors including whiskey, wines, fresh or hard cider, and vermouth. So, drink it neat or sip it over rocks for a unique tongue-tingling Quina mouthfeel.
8. Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine that is pretty much similar to Bonal Gentiane Quina with a more sweetish flavor kick rather than bitterness. However, its fruity zesty flavor notes are much more pronounced and bolder than amaro nonino.
The one thing that makes warmouth a good amaro nonino substitute is its easy availability. So, it deserves your single try in place of Amari?
Sweet and dry are two distinct vermouth varieties you can get easily on hand. However, sweet vermouth works great in place of amaro nonino in the long run.
Sweet vermouth is a low proof, gentle, and smooth to drink straight. It packs a heartier blend of floral, fruity, spicy, and caramel taste hints followed with a palatable crisp.
Vermouth is also a great hennessy substitute as well as a good choice instead of other alcoholic liquors in cocktails and cooking.
9. Chartreuse
Chartreuse makes a spot in the list of amari substitutes because of its smooth, sweet, and spicy flavor. You may perceive it as a magical combination of vanilla, mint, caramel, and apple.
If you’re a regular drinker, you may have an idea that chartreuse comes in two distinct versions, green and yellow. Go for the green version to replace Amari on your table.
Green chartreuse has a higher alcoholic content (55%) with a more potent herbal and citrusy flavor. Add green chartreuse in cocktails and refreshing tropical drinks in place or amaro nonino to delight a similar flavor.
Non-Alcoholic Amaro Nonino Substitute
After addressing all the alcoholic substitutions, there must be some non-alcoholic ideas too.
Practically, chinnoto, fruit juices, and non-alcoholic spirits are the best options to replace amaro nonino.
Chinnoto is a citrusy soft drink that fills the mouth with a zesty bitter flavor, like amaro nonino. Being a non-alcoholic drink, it goes great in cocktails and cooking recipes, especially for children.
Besides, try the juice of citrus and tart fruits like peach, apricot, and oranges. And non-alcoholic spirits are best for cooking recipes. Moreover, one can also use these substitutions instead of amontillado sherry in cooking recipes.
So, try any one of the top-listed amari substitutes that are easily available, affordable, and flavorful for you.
Pick Up The Best Amaro Nonino Substitute
When there’s a ton of possible alternatives available out there, how can you go for a particular option? Are you wondering the same? If so, here is a solution.
Check out your final pick on the basis of the given parameters to end up things as intended.
Flavor: Amaro nonino is one of the notorious bitter liquors enjoyed both as an aperitif and digestif. The overall flavor is herbal, citrusy, zesty, and medicinal followed with a palatable bitter sweet mouthfeel.
So, if you want to replace it in your drinks, go for any other amaro drink with a similar bitter sweet flavor profile.
Alcohol Content: Amaro nonino contains 35% alcohol and is thus a great liquor for day drinkers. The other amaro drinks contain a variable quantity of alcohol, either greater or lesser than nonino.
So, you need to go for an alternative with a closer alcohol content to enjoy an authentic feel.
Price: Amari drinks are pricy liquors than any other alcoholic drinks, and nonino is not so different. The reason is the extensive brewing process and the use of quality ingredients.
So, if you are looking for a budget friendly option, go for a candidate other than amari liquors.
Availability: Sometimes, it gets harder to put your hands on the whole bottle of amaro nonino. Although various bartenders and big grocery stores usually carry nonino in their liquor section, it’s still not readily available to all.
So, go for an alternative that is always available to you or in your local grocery stores.
FAQ’s
What Are Some Cheaper Alternatives For Amaro Nonino?
Amari liquors are relatively more expensive than non-amari wines and aperitifs. It means that you have to pay more for your addicted tongue flavor. However, if you are on budget and seek for any cheaper option, green chartreuse, sweet vermouth, and Bonal Gentiane Quina are great to go with.
What Are Different Kinds Of Amari Liquors?
Amari liquors are more diversified than you may think. There are a variety of distinct amari drinks with different flavor profiles, alcohol content, and aftertaste. The most popular kinds are Averna, Aperol, Montenegro, Cynar, Campari, and Ramazzotti.
Why Is Amaro Nonino So Expensive?
Amaro nonino is one of the most expensive liquors that you can ever get. The intensive production methods, use of quality products, and shorter supply make nonino a rare deal to find locally. All these things level up the price of your beloved amaro.
