Aura Victoris Pelinkovac

Aura Victoris Pelinkovac is a more elegant, complex Croatian herbal liqueur, built on a high quality grain distillate fermented with bitter wormwood over several months and bottled at 31.2%. The wormwood is hand harvested on the wild slopes of the Cicarija highland in Istria, then balanced with an infusion of 15 different herbs and honey, which gives the liqueur its depth and a subtler bittersweet edge than a harsher Pelinkovac. The Latin name, meaning conqueror, points to its fuller, rounder ambitions.

The nose is intense and delicately herbal with wormwood, orange zest, honey and spice over hints of cinnamon, aniseed and lavender, the palate harmoniously bittersweet with wormwood, rosemary, dried herbs, floral nuances and a subtle honey sweetness, finishing long and gently tart with warmth and a herbal spicy edge. Behind the bar its balanced bitterness and honey rounding make it both a fine digestif, neat or on ice, and a characterful base for cocktails, including a bittersweet Negroni variation. Serve it neat at room temperature, lightly chilled, or stirred into a herbal cocktail.