Brucato Chaparral Amaro Skurnik

46.4% ABV, 750 ml, Made in California

The word chaparral defines dry vegetation consisting of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes; as any Californian knows, this perfectly describes a large portion of the state’s iconic, rolling landscape.

Brucato Chaparral evokes this terroir with an amaro rooted in the traditional, herbal alpine liqueurs of Italy and France. A base of California-sourced neutral grape spirit is enlivened with featured botanicals of yerba santa, anise, mint, cardamom, California bay leaf, tarragon, and clove. A total of 20 ingredients are incorporated with the base distillate in a stepped maceration process, and the resulting spirit rests for at least two months in stainless steel before it is sweetened with cane sugar.

Designed to intuitively replace spirits such as Chartreuse, Becherovka, or Strega in classic applications, Chaparral yet imparts a distinct character. A nose of green tea, bay leaf, and mint introduces a warm and bright palate of yellow herbs, cinnamon, and anise. Cardamom blooms late, leading into big notes of mint on the finish. Non-chill filtered and with a hue supplied only by its botanicals, enjoy this 46% ABV-spirit in mixed drinks or as an after-dinner treat.

• San Francisco-based digestivo made in the tradition of alpine herbal liqueurs from Italy & France
• Primary botanicals include yerba santa, anise, mint, cardamom, California bay leaf, tarragon, and clove
• Base of neutral grape distillate
• Whole botanicals, dried and fresh, are incrementally added to a California-sourced neutral grape distillate for a single batch maceration.
• The resulting spirit rests for a minimum of two months in stainless steel before it is sweetened with cane sugar and brought to proof.
• A nose of green tea, bay leaf, and mint introduces a warm and bright palate of yellow herbs, cinnamon, and anise. Cardamom blooms late, leading into big notes of mint on the finish.
• Best Herbal/Botanical Liqueur and Double Gold medal winner at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Double Gold medal winner at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• No added coloring

Brucato was founded by Sierra and James Clark. Sierra comes to the endeavor with a background in food and drink writing and academia — she holds a PhD in Food Studies, focusing her studies on spirits. They have built the recipes carefully, starting with 200 individual infusions of fruits, herbs, and spices, sourced from small farms or foraged where possible. They are deeply involved in all steps of the process, down to hand-peeling citrus and applying neck labels by hand. 

California chaparral covers the foothills and mountain slopes along the coast. Characterized by manzanita, sage brush, and scrub oak, the grey-green rugged hills explode with wildflowers in the spring.  

Brucato Chaparral’s dominant ingredients are yerba santa (a California native herb with a distinct bittersweet flavor, highly revered by apothecaries for its medicinal properties), spearmint, and cardamom. The result is a warm, bright herbal flavor, with a long-lasting mint and anise finish.