A while ago, at the Buy Rite Liquor store down the road I saw some more interesting "shot bottles" near the cash register. Meaning tiny, 50 mL bottles, or about the amount of a typical shot at a bar, or given out on an airplane ride, etc. As I've covered before, I love these--for a couple of dollars you can try an exotic (or non-exotic) liquor. If you enjoy it you can get a bigger bottle, but if you don't you're not stuck with, say, nearly 750 mL of something you loathe, and had to pay $15 to $20 plus for. Anyway, today I'll be discussing Select Aperitivo, which is made in Bologna, Italy by Montenegro S.R.L. (aka Gruppo Montenegro).
As so often occurs, the official Select website wasn't as detailed as I would have liked. So I had to consult other websites. Back in 1920, brothers Mario and Vittorio Pilla founded Fratelli Pilla & C., which sold liquor. However, in addition to selling other liquors, apparently, they decided to create and market their own, which they called Select. Kind of like Coca-Cola, the exact ingredients of Select are a trade secret. Of the reported 30 botanicals included, the manufacturers only mention two--juniper berries and rhubarb roots. These are individually macerated, in a way that's supposedly very important to the drink's taste. The odors and tastes they're going for include citrus fruits, balsamic eucalyptus, menthol, spicy, tropical, and sweet-bitter. The billed color is "red with orange highlights, like an Italian sunset." (I'm guessing many countries have red-orange sunsets, too, depending on the time of year, environmental conditions, etc., but whatever, they're trying to evoke a relevant poetic image.) Back to the manufacturer's history, in 1954 Select was acquired by Distilleries Jean Buton, and then sometime later it was absorbed by Gruppo Montenegro. Montenegro in turn dates back to 1885, and is huge. It produces some foods (teas, polentas, spices, corn oils, and pizza doughs), and liquor brands like Amaro Montenegro, and Rossi Antico. They also distribute foreign brands like Jose Cuervo tequila, Bushmills whisky, Jack Daniel's whiskey, Finlandia Vodka, Kraken Rum, 1800 tequila, etc., in Italy.
Furthermore, Select started out as an apertif, as a digestive bitter. Or, a bitter-flavored hard liquor that was usually consumed with a meal, to enhance digestion. But, by the 1970's Select was progressively imbibed more as part of cocktails. Most commonly, "spritzes," or Italian style wine-based cocktails. The Select was usually combined with Prosecco white wine (which is made in the same area of Italy as Select) and soda water, poured over ice and garnished with a green olive. Sometimes spritzes are made with other Italian bitter digestives. As a preview, in a near-future post I'll be exploring another one of these. I didn't realize that Select is most often drank as part of a cocktail until after I'd brought in home, drank it plain, and then learned about it on the internet. Plus, honestly even if I did know this I probably wouldn't have bought the additional Prosecco and soda water, since the former would almost certainly entail spending another $20 or so on a larger bottle. Since I'm not a wine guy, the Prosecco would have probably been wasted on me.
Select Aperitivo: Had a red color, and nice herbal aroma. The taste was also pleasing--kind of spicy. Reminded me of Becherovka (see my July 27, 2014 post) or Jagermeister. Not as intense as those, but still above average, or solid. All in all, a good shot, if you like herby, spicy liqueurs. I would recommend this. Also, I was somewhat surprised to learn that juniper berries are in this, since I find the juniper-based gin to be utterly revolting. As for rhubarb, I guess it's okay in pies, but I wouldn't say I love it. Evidently the other 28 botanicals in Select really make the difference. In the event I ever see it in a bar, I would certainly consider having it as a "proper" cocktail, with the white wine, soda water, etc. If this ever happens, I'll obviously update this post.
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