From Limoncello to Mirto: A Guide to Italy’s Island Liqueurs

What happens when “Euro summer” meets “island time?” The two laid-back, beachy vibes meet in liquid form in Italy’s island liqueurs. Off the coast of the boot, Italy has hundreds of islands from large to small, scattered across the Mediterranean. Similar to the cultural centers across the mainland, many of them produce their own beverages by sourcing local ingredients and steeping them in neutral alcohols. Tasting through these liqueurs can give consumers a glimpse of the islands’ terroirs.

Aperitifs like Aperol might dominate the Italian — and global — cocktail scene right now, but the islands offer a suite of regional products, from local amari to botanical liqueurs that showcase local fruits and flowers. While they can get the Spritz treatment, we encourage the liqueur-curious to sip these spirits straight, just as locals would.

From the scenic lemon groves off of the Amalfi Coast to the sulfuric slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, here are four Italian island liqueurs to know.

Capri: Limoncello

Today, tourists across the Amalfi Coast encounter dozens of tchotchke shops full of pastel-yellow limoncello handles and shooters, but the spirit has much more traditional roots. Coming from Capri, an island off the coast where lemon groves with massive, egg-shaped fruit are plentiful, the spirit first came about in the early 20th century. It is made by steeping lemon peels in a high-proof base alcohol and mixing it with sugar and water. (The recipe is so simple that you can make it at home.) With citrus peels headlining the flavor profile, the sweet lemon liqueur can lean into bitter territory, but it can also be sessionable, depending on how much sugar and water is added. The ABV for a typical bottle falls between 25 to 32 percent. Limoncello is traditionally served ice-cold in small glasses to be slowly sipped as a digestivo.

Ischia: Rucolino

As some English-speaking countries refer to arugula as “rocket,” the word for the plant in Italian has a similar root. “Rucola” means arugula, giving the name of “Rucolino,” an arugula-based amaro from the Ischia island off the coast of Naples. The Rucolino process begins with infusing a base alcohol with arugula, citrus peel, and a mix of botanicals for around 40 days. Then, producers sweeten the liqueur with sugar or syrup before letting it age. Rucolino’s flavor retains the fresh, peppery bite of arugula with bittersweet, herbaceous undertones. Much like other amari, the liqueur is traditionally consumed as a post-meal digestivo.

Sardinia: Mirto

Mirto is a liqueur made with the berries of a myrtle plant, an evergreen shrub indigenous to the Mediterranean. Some accounts suggest Mirto’s production began in Corsica and was later transported to Sardinia, now the home base of the spirit. Many of the island’s inhabitants make batches of Mirto at home for recreational consumption, and only a few professional producers exist. Making the beverage begins with steeping the berries in a high-proof neutral alcohol for up to 60 days. They then strain the liquid, separately press the fruit, and mix in the juice, the volume depending on how much they want to proof the batch down. The ensemble then goes through a final filtration process, resulting in a dark, black currant-colored spirit. The myrtle berries impart their herbal, spicy, and almost savory taste, leading into a lingering, slightly burning finish. The traditional, berry-based Mirto is known as Mirto Rosso. The island also offers Mirto Bianco, made from the less common white variety of the myrtle berries, or the leaves of the plant.

Sicily: Amaro Averna

While Sicily’s beverage scene may be better known for the wines coming from the hot, volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, the island also offers delicious local amari. The history behind Amaro Averna isn’t entirely clear, but the brand suggests monks based in Caltanissetta passed off the original recipe to Salvatore Averna, a textile merchant, in 1868. Later generations of the family continued to build the brand, expanding its popularity worldwide, and eventually turning Fratelli Averna into a corporation in 1958. The Campari Group eventually picked it up in 2014 for €103 million ($120 million) before selling it off, along with Mirto brand Zedda Piras, for €100 million ($116 million). Despite all of the switches in ownership, Amaro Averna’s production still remains faithful to the original 19th-century recipe. The blend of botanicals is a secret, but the liqueur, bottled at 29 percent ABV, brings flavors of citrus, caramel, cola, and herbs. Sicily is also home to a few other artisanal amaro brands that work with local botanicals, including Amaro dell’Etna.

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