PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Borsci Elisir San Marzano has one of the more remarkable origin stories in the amaro category. The Borsci family left the Caucasus region during the Ottoman invasions before 1400 and resettled in Albania, in the town of Borsh, which gave them their surname. A branch later followed the Albanian national hero Giorgio Castriota to Puglia in the mid-1400s, when he came to fight alongside the Kingdom of Aragon, and the family name took on a more Italian form. The recipe was handed down through generations as a family secret, rooted in what the producer's copy describes as ancient monastic herbal recipes and a medicinal concoction, until Giuseppe Borsci began producing it commercially in 1840 in the town of San Marzano di San Giuseppe, which gave the elixir its name.
The recipe remains a closely guarded secret, but the producer says all ingredients are 100% natural, built around a blend of spices. The liqueur is flavored with melissa, wormwood, cloves, saffron, and many other botanicals. What sets it apart from most amari is its rum base, which one retailer describes as "half amaro, half spiced rum," and which a staff taster found makes it "really not like other Amaro," with "thick and rich" vanilla and spice and "a balance of bitterness."
The tasting notes read like a spice cabinet and a coffee shop at once. The producer's notes cite the rum base shining through "with additional notes that include bubble gum, spicy cinnamon, kola, mauby root, dried cherries, coffee, cocoa and saffron." Another description lists "coffee beans, cigar smoke, bittersweet herbs and wormwood, prunes, figs, chocolate, vanilla, plums, cinnamon, cloves and liquorice." An Italian tasting note finds the taste "neither sweet nor bitter; complex and generous," with coffee, cocoa, tobacco, prunes, figs, and raisins, finishing on "sweet and sour plum." It is dark brown, velvety, and deeply flavored.
Traditionally it's sipped as a digestif, neat or cold over ice, but it's also a favorite mixer: poured over vanilla ice cream, stirred into coffee, taken as a shot, or lengthened with citrus as an aperitif. Its coffee and cocoa character suits autumn and winter drinks especially well. This is a distinctive, versatile bottle for anyone who finds standard amari too bitter or too herbal, and a strong pick for spiced-rum fans curious about Italian bitters.
Borsci Elisir San Marzano is produced in San Marzano di San Giuseppe, in Puglia, Italy, from a recipe created commercially in 1840 by Giuseppe Borsci and handed down within the Borsci family for generations before that. It is a rum-based liqueur, flavored with melissa, wormwood, cloves, saffron, and a secret blend of other botanicals and spices, all natural ingredients. Bottled at 38% ABV / 76 proof, 750ml.
No formal numerical critic score is available for this product.
Producer tasting notes (via importer):
"The rum base really shines through with additional notes that include bubble gum, spicy cinnamon, kola, mauby root, dried cherries, coffee, cocoa and saffron."
Staff taster:
"It's really not like other Amaro and I think that is because of the rum base. I started to think of it as a very intense spiced rum and then it all started to make sense. Thick and rich with wonderful vanilla and spice notes and a balance of bitterness."
Fine Drams:
"Borsci offers up notes of coffee beans, cigar smoke, bittersweet herbs and wormwood, prunes, figs, chocolate, vanilla, plums, cinnamon, cloves and liquorice."
Italian retailer tasting note:
"With a dark color, a complex and oriental smell; notes of rubber, burnt paper, moss, asphalt and spices. The taste is neither sweet nor bitter; complex and generous taste, with notes of coffee, cocoa, tobacco, cigar, prunes, figs and raisins; sweet and sour plum finish."
Nose
Dark brown. Deep, nutty, and complex, with coffee, cocoa, and cinnamon leading, alongside saffron, clove, and a hint of cigar smoke.
Palate
Thick and velvety, neither sweet nor bitter, with rum-like vanilla and spice, dried cherry, prune, fig, and chocolate balanced by bittersweet herbs and wormwood.
Finish
Long and layered, closing with coffee, cocoa, liquorice, and a sweet-and-sour plum note.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Rum-Based Amaro Liqueur (Elixir) |
| ABV / Proof | 38% ABV / 76 Proof |
| Base | Rum, with melissa, wormwood, cloves, saffron & other botanicals |
| Region | San Marzano di San Giuseppe, Puglia, Italy |
| Created | 1840, by Giuseppe Borsci, from an older family recipe |
| Ingredients | 100% natural |
| Color | Dark brown |
| Style / Identity | A rich, velvety, half-amaro, half-spiced-rum liqueur — coffee, cocoa, and spice rather than sharp bitterness |
| Aromas & Flavors | Coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, clove, saffron, dried cherry, prune, fig |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Neat or on the rocks — the traditional way to enjoy it as a digestif, served cold or with ice.
Over vanilla gelato — a classic Italian dessert use.
In coffee — stirred into hot coffee or espresso for a rich, spiced after-dinner drink.
Long drink with citrus — lengthened with soda and a squeeze of citrus as a refreshing aperitif.
As a shot — served cold, straight from the freezer or fridge.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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