In December 2015 Applewood took the plunge and launched what nobody else had in Australia – two different examples of Amaro (Økar and Red Økar) – a type of of bitter/herbal aperitif that’s been popular for more than a century – famous for it’s use in the Negroni or Spritz.
Very quickly – Applewood knew they were onto something – within a couple of months, both Amaros became #1 and #2 selling products! We all couldn’t believe it!
These two beverages transformed the entire Applewood business. They went from being curiously passionate about native Australian ingredients – to being able to offer supply-contracts to farmers to put this highly sustainable produce in the ground.
Over the last two years, it’s been a wild journey – delving deep into native ingredients. Some, weren’t sustainable at scale. Others, they found new methods to extract the most amazing flavours from. And then, a whole plethora of new botanicals were discovered on a daily basis!
After two years of listening to feedback from around this sunburnt country of ours, Applewood decided to revisit their Amaro production.
Introducing… the new, the improved, the delicious:
- They’ve replaced the two different products with a hybrid, a single Australian Amaro.
- Riberries are still the star – but now Native Currants, Davidson Plum, Finger Limes, Peppermint Gum Leaf, Saltbush and Wild Thyme get to play more prominent roles.
- It’s now filtered – completely crystal clear, free from sediment and hazes.
- They’ve nearly doubled the amount of Australian Botanicals we use for a more intense flavour hit.
- They’ve paid close attention to the bitterness, increasing so it can stand up against the more established Amaro brands.
- They’ve stress-tested the botanicals, making sure they’re sustainably sourced and scaleable – so we can show this product around the world.
- They’ve stress-tested the new blend in a range of cocktails – so we know it’s going to stretch well when a myriad of mixers are used.
- Finally -They’ve given her (of course it’s a her), some new fancy clothes to celebrate 😉
Applewood could not be more proud of where Økar is now. Ruby red & perfectly bittersweet. Just like an Amaro should be!
An essential ingredient to your Økar Spritz & Aussie Negroni or perhaps try an Australiano?