Museo Essenza is a relatively new museum/ bar and a very welcome addition to Pisticci; it is the immersive presentation centre for all products produced by Amaro Lucano. I highly recommend this, and I recommend that you visit it early in your stay, as you may want to get there again to experience the different tastes, without getting tipsy in one visit.
The bar and store is operated by a warm and friendly crew that are magicians in how the products are mixed. The free museum brings together the history of the company intertwined with the history and culture of the area during the same time, and can be self-guided as it incorporates multi-media, and is presented in Italian and English.
Take the time to expand your tastes testing the array of products offered. The original Amaro now has a few options, but start with the original. I would suggest that you try it first on-the-rocks; its a distinctive taste that you should experience first, but then give the bartenders some latitude to suggest signature cocktail options that incorporate the Amaro. I personally like their Amaro, Caffe liqueur, and their Noci liqueur, and for a mixed drink my favourite is their “Shakerato”, an iced cocktail that uses their Cordial Caffe, a tasty espresso liqueur; it will give you a good caffeine fix!
Their Fratelli Vena liqueurs are exquisite tastes that you may have never experienced before; you can’t pick one without trying each. Their cream-based options are newer tastes that receive steadily good reviews. Ask also to try their variety of liqueur-filled or tinged chocolate and candies. Lastly, the wide variety of artistic decorated bottles are collector pieces for the discerning enthusiast who may want to try the various derivatives of the original Amaro.
I have a special place in my heart for Amaro Lucano; something that I am very proud of.
Pasquale Vena created the original Amaro in 1894, blending 30 herbs; and since then, subsequent generations continue to operate and expand the offerings of Amaro Lucano S.P.A. Amaro has become a symbol of Italian culture abroad; I still bring bottles back for friends and family, as in Canada we are restricted to only the original Amaro. My satisfaction with this place comes from the fact that four generations of my family were instrumental in constructing their distillery, starting with my great-grandfather who first built the plant in Pisticci, followed by my grandfather who moved the operation from the hilltop to Pisticci Scalo to accommodate the expansion required by its growth, where my father also worked on the construction. Though I had nothing to do with it, the fourth generation is represented by my brother Ralph, and my cousin Francesco Giannone (namesake as we are both named after my our grandfather). My architect brother was commissioned to create the museum and bar; working with the current Vena family, this was a coming out for Amaro Lucano, who until this point were extremely secretive about how their product was made. The Museum is almost a complete reversal of the clam-like mode, with almost all the ingredients presented and identified in an appealing garden setting between the bar and the Museum, where you can touch and smell the plants. The secretive ingredient though is held back in limited hands with proprietors.
So we can just say… COSA VUOI DI PIÙ DALLA VITA? UN LUCANO!
(What more do you want from life? An Amaro Lucano! which is their famous slogan)
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