Santa Maria al Monte Caffe Ligure, Coffee Liquer

Espresso and Mallomars on the nose, chocolate-covered espresso bean on a mouth-coating palate, with a Pocket Coffee note on the finish.

The Santa Maria al Monte name traces to a sacred herbal recipe said to have come from the Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte in Genoa; Ligurian liqueur maker Nicola Vignale bought the brand in the early 1900s and three generations of Vignales kept it going before Gruppo Caffo took over, using the same recipes. The coffee is mostly arabica with some robusta, sourced from Ethiopia, Honduras, Brazil, and Uganda, small-batch roasted in Calabria, then macerated in hot water and blended with vanilla, cocoa, and spirit.

Cocktails: Espresso Martini (it's the obvious one and it's very good) · Black Russian, or over ice with a splash of cream · Affogato — poured over vanilla gelato instead of espresso