Concerto is one of the oldest liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast. It originates in the hills of Tramonti, the green lung of the Divina, and is made from a mixture of no less than 15 herbs. The inhabitants, elderly and otherwise, of the hill town on the Amalfi Coast are very attached to the Concerto brew tradition.
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The history of Concerto
It is a dark and very thick herbal distillate with strong digestive properties. It was first made in the Regio Conservatorio dei Santi Giuseppe e Teresa, in the hamlet of Pucara (Tramonti)
The name derives from the ‘Concerto’, i.e. the harmony of herbs and spices used to make it. The ancient function of this rosolio was to cure women and children who were guests of the nuns of the convent.
The nuns of Tramonti, having at their disposal a wide variety of herbs and spices such as liquorice, fennel, cloves, nutmeg, edelweiss and spearmint, decided to combine them with the addition of barley and coffee, thus creating a much-loved liqueur.
The most striking feature of Concerto for those who taste it for the first time, apart from the particularly sweet and spicy taste, is undoubtedly its very thick and creamy consistency, certainly different from any other liqueur.
The taste is difficult to describe, because it is intense and sweet at the same time, with a warm explosion of fragrant spices. The advice is to taste it on the spot, at one of the many artisan workshops on the Amalfi Coast.
If, on the other hand, the idea is to make it at home, let us make a small clarification: since it is an ancient recipe, handed down from family to family, it is not easy to find an official recipe.
As is the case with many traditional dishes and recipes, each family jealously keeps its own secret, its own magic recipe for making the ancient rosolio.
In this article, we propose one of the many existing variants.
What can vary from one recipe to another is undoubtedly the prevalence of one spice over another, the consistency, more or less dense, a hint of more or less sweetness.
If you are on holiday on the Amalfi Coast and already know that you love experimenting in the kitchen, we recommend buying the ready-made herb mix, which you can find in local pharmacies and herbalist shops.
It is very important to point out that many meticulous and passionate locals prepare it without the help of the ready-made mixture, but by dosing the individual spices, based on the secret recipe handed down.
We anticipate that the resting time of this liqueur is quite long: as with all good things, you will have to be patient for a few weeks before you can taste your own glass of self-produced Concerto with satisfaction.
The Ingredients of the Concerto
🔹 25 gr. of aniseed
🔹 15 g star anise
🔹 15 gr cinnamon stick
🔹 10 gr. of cloves
🔹 25 gr. of coriander
🔹 25 g juniper berries
🔹 25 gr. of red sandalwood
🔹 20 g aromatic calamus
🔹 1 nutmeg.
Preparing the Concerto
The making of the Concerto involves a fairly long processing time. The different herbs are macerated and left to steep in alcohol for a good 40 days, together with the peel of a lemon.
Once ready, the preparation must be boiled with 4 litres of water. It must then be left to stand for at least two days and then be filtered with a cloth or filter paper with which to line a funnel.
At this point, a small amount of sugar has to be melted over a low heat and the coffee added at the end. The infusion must then be filtered again and the barley added.
At this point there are still 2 months to go before you can taste the Concerto. In fact, after about 60 days of resting, the compote must be filtered again to prevent any possible residue, present at the bottom of the jar, from undermining the quality of the product.
There are several laboratories on the Amalfi Coast that produce the Concerto still following the traditional recipe, without using the preparation that can be bought in pharmacies or herbalist shops.
For tourists visiting the Amalfi Coast, tasting the liqueur of Tramonti is a ” can’t miss” appointment.
