One Bottle Three Ways: Amaro Montenegro
Welcome to One Bottle, Three Ways, an ongoing series where we will hand one great bottle to one award-winning bartender and ask them to show us what it can really do.
The brief? Create three simple, no-fuss cocktails that highlight different moods, drinking styles, and flavour profiles. No centrifuges. No infusions that take four days. Just drinks you’ll actually want to make. Whether you’re a home bartender looking to impress or a pro who needs a new low-lift menu addition, consider this your dose of mixable inspiration.
For our inaugural edition we’re highlighting Amaro Montenegro. Made with 40 botanicals and a secret three-stage extraction method, this Italian icon is floral, citrusy, and gently bitter—an amaro even amaro skeptics can get behind. And who better to show it off than Jessica Colacci, Canada’s 2024 Vero Bartender Champion and Judge for the 2025 national finals? With three easy builds, she shows us just how many personalities one bottle can have and why Montenegro deserves a permanent place in your rotation.
G&B Lush Theory
This Spritz takes the timeless Italian herb basil and gives it a vibrant, tropical twist. By pairing it with the rich complexity of Amaro Montenegro and the crisp effervescence of Mionetto Prosecco Brut, this cocktail is elevated into something refreshingly unique. The guava juice adds a luscious sweetness, while the Peychaud’s bitters bring a touch of aromatic depth. Simple yet sophisticated, this drink effortlessly captures the essence of summer in every sip.
Ingredients
1.5 oz Amaro Montenegro
2.0 oz Mionetto Prosecco Brut
0.75 oz Guava Juice
2 Fresh Basil Leaves
2 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Method
1. Add everything except the Prosecco into a shaker tin with ice.
2. Gently shake the mixture until chilled and diluted.
3. Double strain the mixture into a chilled Collins glass.
4. Fill the glass with ice then top with Prosecco.
5. Stir gently to combine
6. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and serve with a straw.
Montenegro Blues
This cocktail seamlessly blends the bittersweet herbal warmth of Amaro Montenegro with the vibrant sweetness of fresh blueberries and the subtle warmth of cinnamon and cardamom. Each ingredient builds upon the other in perfect harmony, creating a drink that is simultaneously spirit-forward, fresh, rich, and balanced.
Ingredients
0.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
2.0 oz Dillon’s Dry Gin 7
0.5 oz Cinnamon Syrup*
8 fresh Blueberries
2 dashes Cardamom Bitters
Method
1. In a mixing glass, combine the Gin, Amaro Montenegro, syrup, and 5 blueberries. Gently muddle the blueberries just enough to burst the skin of the berry and still keep it intact.
2. Add two drops of cardamom bitters to the mixing glass, then fill it with ice.
3. Stir the mixture for 20–30 seconds, until thoroughly chilled.
4. Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe glass & garnish with three skewered blueberries.
*Cinnamon Syrup
Ingredients: 200 g sugar, 200 ml water, and 3 cinnamon sticks
Preparation: In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients & simmer for 10 minutes, stirring until all of the sugar dissolves. The mixture will turn a warm amber colour. Remove from heat and let cool before using (store any extra in the refrigerator for up to two weeks).
Zabaglione Flip
Inspired by the classic zabaglione, a beloved Italian dessert and beverage traditionally made with egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine, this cocktail blends the spirit of my very Italian family with the rich history of the flip. The addition of Amaro Montenegro brings a modern twist to this traditional delight. The use of egg creates a velvety texture that evokes the creamy decadence of zabaglione, while the Marsala and Amaro complement one another beautifully, capturing the warmth of Italy and timelessness of a flip.
Ingredients
1.0 oz Amaro Montenegro
1.5 oz Bearface Triple Oak
1.0 oz Pedro Ximénez Sherry
0.5 oz Dry Marsala Wine
1 whole Egg
Garnish: freshly grated Nutmeg
Method
1. Add all ingredients into a shaker tin and dry shake without ice.
2. Add ice to the shaker and shake again to chill the mixture.
3. Double strain into a chilled rocks glass, over a large cube.
4. Garnish with grated nutmeg.