Antique Pelinkovac Amaro is a dark, wormwood-based herbal liqueur from Croatia that has stood as the country's benchmark digestif since the 19th century, prized for a complexity most amari only aspire to.
Produced by Badel 1862 in Zagreb, the liqueur traces its recipe back to the company's founding year and has been made in the same traditional manner ever since. Over 40 Mediterranean botanicals, led by wormwood (pelin), are macerated in alcohol and distilled in small batches through a legendary copper still that has been in continuous use since 1921, its century of mineral patina lending the spirit a depth that newer equipment can't replicate. The liqueur is then rested in oak before being bottled by hand, a process that has earned it more than 60 international awards, including a Gold Medal at the 2021 World Spirits Awards.
In the glass, Antique pours a deep caramel hue and opens with a pronounced, herbal nose layered with licorice, bitter orange peel, coriander, dill, and fig. The palate is bittersweet and full-bodied, with a lightly spicy, peppery edge and a distinctive cooling note of mint running through the finish, all built around wormwood's signature bitterness, which was traditionally valued for its digestive properties.
Best served chilled with a twist of lemon or orange, it's a rare bottle that works equally well as an aperitif, a after-dinner digestif, or the backbone of a classic cocktail.