Ingredients
Wild herbs gathered on the sandstone peaks of the Dolomiti Lucane — the rupes of the name is Latin for rock — with liquorice from the Basilicata coast, bitter orange and mountain mint.
- ✦Wild Lucanian mountain herbs
- ✦Calabrian and Lucanian liquorice
- ✦Bitter orange peel
- ✦Mountain mint
- ✦Gentian
- ✦Juniper
History of the Brand
Basilicata is amaro country — Amaro Lucano has been made at Pisticci since 1894 — but Rupes is a deliberately modern, small-batch answer to it, launched in 2013.
The producers work around Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, two villages built into the sandstone spires that give the Dolomiti Lucane their name.
Herbs are gathered locally and macerated cold to preserve the fresh, green top notes that heat-based extraction flattens.
It has become a point of pride for the region and a fixture on Italian craft-amaro lists, though export volumes remain small.
Tasting Characteristics
Wild mint, liquorice root, orange zest and dry hillside herbs.
Fresh herbal sweetness, liquorice, juniper and a firm gentian bitterness.
Medium-long, cooling, dry.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Chilled and neat, the way it is served in Basilicata.
- 02Over ice with tonic and a lemon twist.
- 03In a Naked and Famous in place of Nonino for a herbal version.
- 04In a Hanky Panky as a lighter Fernet substitute.
- 05Alongside Amaro Lucano in a Basilicata tasting flight.
Where to Get It
Small production. Best found in Italy or through importers who specialise in craft amari.
Specialty bottle shops
Craft-amaro shelves; $32–$42 when available.
Online spirits retailers
Search 'Amaro Rupes Basilicata'.
Basilicata
Sold across Matera, Potenza and the Dolomiti Lucane villages.
Affiliate buying links coming soon.
Amaro Rupes FAQ
What is Amaro Rupes?
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A small-batch amaro launched in 2013 in the Dolomiti Lucane of Basilicata, made from wild mountain herbs and local liquorice at 30% ABV.
What does Amaro Rupes taste like?
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Fresh wild mint and hillside herbs with liquorice root, orange zest and a clean gentian bitterness.
How is Rupes different from Amaro Lucano?
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Both come from Basilicata, but Lucano is a sweet, spice-led 1894 classic while Rupes is greener, drier and cold-macerated in a modern craft style.
What does 'rupes' mean?
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It is Latin for rock, a reference to the sandstone spires of the Dolomiti Lucane where the herbs are gathered.
How should I serve Amaro Rupes?
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Chilled and neat, or over ice with tonic and lemon. It also works well in herbal cocktails like a Naked and Famous.