As the author of a book about amaro, I’ve spent the past five years conducting numerous talks, tastings, and training sessions on the subject of bittersweet Italian liqueurs. And one of my favorite things to witness is the reaction when people enter the room and are instantly hit with the intense, symphonic aroma emanating from the lineup of amari set up on their tasting mats.

From twisting the cap on the bottle to that first sip, there is no amaro with a greater sense of regional terroir than Bràulio, the iconic alpino-style liqueur from the small mountain town of Bormio in Lombardy’s Valtellina valley on the Swiss border of the Italian Alps.