PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
In 1870,Silvio Meletti looked at the importedliqueurs arriving from France andelsewhere and decided that thefertile lands of Le Marche — theAdriatic coastal region of centralItaly centered on Ascoli Piceno,one of the country's most beautifuland least internationally recognizedfood and wine territories — couldproduce something that competed withthem. He studied various distillationprocesses and landed on thebain-marie still: indirect heat, slowevaporation, highly aromaticdistillates. He began sourcing hisherbs and botanicals from local LeMarche growers who worked exclusively with his distillery. He brought his liqueurs to the Paris Fair of 1878, where his Anisette became an immediate award-winner. And he left his descendants a book of original recipes that the fifth generation of the Meletti family — Mauro and Matteo — continues to follow today.
The 1870 Bitter Aperitivo carries the year of the distillery's founding as its name and its most immediate identity statement. Itis an Italian bitter aperitivo in themost traditional sense — bright red,botanically complex, designed for thepre-dinner moment — but specificallyand memorably its own thing rather thansimply another Campari. "That brightred color and Italian name can onlymean one thing," Drinkhacker'sChristopher Null wrote. "Wrong. InMeletti 1870, the bitterness comesacross almost as an afterthought —Meletti is focused on fruit and spice."A. Dias Blue's assessment, published in2015, captured it most concisely:"sweet, anise bitter nose; smooth andfruity with ripe herbs and sweet,bitter flavors; lush, long and rich —similar to but softer and smoother thanCampari."
Three separate distillates —sweet orange, bitter orange, and aspice and herb infusion — blended withpure spirits to create a mildly bitter,refreshing aperitivo. The flavorprofile starts with sweet citrus, movesthrough a bitter middle, and finisheswith gentian, coriander, cinnamon, andclove. Le Marche botanicals. Sorrentocitrus. Bain-marie stills. 155 years offamily history in a bottle with a pricepoint that makes it the mostspecifically accessible serious Italianbitter aperitivo available.
TheSilvio Meletti Company was founded in1870 in Ascoli Piceno — a medievalhilltop city in the Le Marche region ofcentral Italy, on the Adriatic coastbetween Umbria and the sea, whoseculinary and artisanal traditions areamong the most specifically local andthe most specifically under-discoveredin all of Italy. Silvio Meletti'sfounding ambition was direct: to createa local product that could compete withthe expensive imported liqueurs thatwere dominating the Italian market inthe late 19th century. After studyingvarious distillation processes, hedeveloped a production method centeredon the bain-marie still — indirectheat, slow evaporation, the mostdelicate and the most specificallyaromatic distillation approachavailable for botanical extraction. Hetook his liqueurs to the ParisUniversal Exposition of 1878, where hisAnisette won an award and began the international reputation the house hasbuilt across a century and a half.
The production philosophy the Melettifamily has maintained across fivegenerations — now led by Mauro andMatteo Meletti — begins with ingredient sourcing of specific and documentedregional character. Herbs andbotanicals, including anise and localwild botanicals, are sourced from LeMarche growers who work exclusivelywith Meletti. Citrus fruit is sourced from Italy's top growers in Sorrento —the most celebrated citrus-growingregion on the Italian peninsula. Dutchcocoa is imported from the Netherlandsfor other expressions in the range. Noexpense is spared in the pursuit of thefinest ingredients, and no recipe hasbeen changed from the book Silvio lefthis descendants.
The 1870 BitterAperitivo is produced from threeseparate distillates — each producedindependently before blending: a sweetorange distillate, a bitter orangedistillate, and a spice and herbinfusion distillate. These are blendedwith pure spirits and the disclosedbotanicals — gentian, coriander, clove,and cinnamon — alongside whateveradditional proprietary botanicalcomponents form the complete recipe.Sugar is added before bottling. Bottledat 25% ABV.
A. Dias Blue (October 2015, confirmed):
"Sweet, anise bitter nose; smoothand fruity with ripe herbs and sweet,bitter flavors; lush, long and rich;similar to but softer and smoother thanCampari."
Drinkhacker (Christopher Null, confirmed):
"In Meletti 1870, the bitternesscomes across almost as an afterthought,making for a much different experienceon the whole. Meletti is focused onfruit and spice. Campari lives to searyour throat and give you that unbendinggrimace — in a good way, though. Eitherway, try it as an alternative in acocktail to Campari — or, better yet,instead of Fernet."
Opici Wines & Spirits (US importer, confirmed official description):
"Threeseparate distillates: sweet orange,bitter orange, and a spice and herbinfusion, are blended with pure spiritsto create a mildly bitter, yetrefreshing aperitivo. The impressivelycomplex flavor profile starts withsweet citrus, moves through a bittermiddle, and finishes with gentian,coriander, cinnamon, and clove notes.Traditionally enjoyed with a splash ofclub soda or mixed with vermouth andsoda to make an Americano, 1870 alsolends itself to many other interestingcocktail applications."
Meletti (house characterization):
"Meletti has real weight and afascinating array of flavors — whichmakes it ideal in cocktails that canplay off that complexity."
Nose
Brilliant red with a deep, warm glow. Sweetorange and bitter orange open the nosein tandem — the most immediatelyinviting and the most specificallycitrus-forward aromatic combination ofany Italian bitter aperitivo at thisprice point. The anise-bitter secondarynote adds the most characteristicallyItalian herbal dimension. Cinnamon andclove spice add warm, invitingbaking-spice depth.
Palate
Theimpressively complex flavor profilemoves in three stages — the mostspecifically and the most accuratelydescribed tasting architecture in thecategory. Sweet citrus arrives firstand most generously: the sweet orangedistillate's most immediatelyaccessible and the most fruit-forwardprimary flavor. A bitter middledevelops with the gentian's structuralbitterness and the bitter orange'scitrus tartness building to amid-palate of genuine aperitivocomplexity. Then the finish revealsgentian, coriander, cinnamon, and clove— the most warming and the most spicedfinal stage, the bain-mariedistillation's most specificallyaromatic contribution carrying through.Smooth and fruity throughout, with thebitterness consistently secondary tothe fruit and spice — "anafterthought," as Drinkhacker mostmemorably characterized it.
Finish
Lush, long, and spiced — cinnamon,coriander, and clove persistingalongside the citrus brightness. Thegentian's structural bitterness lingersas the most specificallyaperitivo-functional and the mostappetite-stimulating closing quality.Softer and more accessible thanCampari's more aggressively bitterclose.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Italian Bitter Aperitivo Liqueur |
| ABV | 25% |
| Producer | Silvio Meletti — Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche, Italy |
| Founded | 1870 bySilvio Meletti |
| Current Generation | Fifth — Mauroand Matteo Meletti |
| Color | Bright red |
| Three Distillates | Sweet orange · Bitter orange · Spiceand herb infusion |
| Disclosed Botanicals | Gentian ·Coriander · Clove · Cinnamon |
| Citrus Source | Sorrento, Italy —Italy's top citrus growers |
| Botanical Source | Local Le Marchegrowers — exclusive to Meletti |
| Still Type | Bain-marie — slowevaporation, highly aromaticdistillates |
| Recipe | Original —passed down from Silvio's book ofrecipes |
| vs. Campari | Softer ·Less bitter · More fruit and spiceforward · Lower ABV (25% vs 28.5%) |
| Style / Identity | Fruit andspice-forward Italian bitter aperitivo— sweet citrus opening, gentle bittermiddle, spiced finish |
| Aromas & Flavors | Sweet orange,bitter orange, anise, cinnamon, clove,coriander, gentian, herbs |
| Best Served | Spritz · Americano ·Negroni · Club soda · On the rocks |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Meletti 1870 Spritz (the most natural serve)
2 oz Meletti1870 · 3 oz Prosecco · 1 oz soda water· orange slice. Built over ice in alarge Copa glass. The sweet citrusopening and softer bitterness make thisthe most specifically approachable andthe most broadlycrowd-pleasing bitter spritz available.
Americano
1.5 oz Meletti1870 · 1.5 oz sweet vermouth ·soda water · orange peel. Theproducer's own traditionalrecommendation — the Americano formatthat allows the 1870'sfruit-and-spice complexity to shinewithout the gin's additionalbotanical layer.
Meletti Negroni
1 oz Meletti1870 · 1 oz gin · 1 oz sweet vermouth ·expressed orange peel. Drinkhacker'sown specific recommendation — "try itas an alternative in a cocktail toCampari." The softer bitternessproduces a Negroni of fruit-forward,more accessible character than thestandard Campari version.
On the Rocks with Soda
2 oz Meletti1870 over ice, topped with club sodaand garnished with orange. The simplestand the most specifically Italianlow-effort aperitivo serve.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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