The concept for
Caffé Amaro was born at the revered Kansas City cocktail bar Manifesto, in
2011. Owner Ryan Maybee formulated the recipe based on the classic pairing
of Amaro and Espresso, otherwise known as a “Cafe Corretto”. The goal was
to make a coffee liqueur that was bright, acidic, and slightly bitter, as
opposed to the traditionally sweet coffee flavored spirits. It was also
important to showcase the lighter body of cold-brew coffee, as opposed to
the dark roast flavors more prominent in French roasted coffee. J. Rieger
& Co.’s Caffè Amaro starts as a traditional botanical amaro, a bittersweet
Italian liqueur made from macerating herbs, spices, flowers, and citrus in
alcohol, and is later blended with a single-origin cold brew coffee toddy
from local Kansas City Roasters, Thou Mayest. After finishing the blend in
used whiskey barrels, cane syrup is added to give a nice balance between
sweet and bitter and to amplify the coffee notes. Caffè Amaro is bottled at
31% ABV and is recommended to be consumed as an after-dinner digestivo,
or mixed in cocktails.
- The original distillery was located at 1529 Genesee Street in Kansas City’s West Bottoms neighborhood.
- J. Rieger & Co. distillery was originally founded in 1887
- Andy Rieger and Ryan Maybee reopened the distillery in 2014