Meet the Makers

Spirits · Pisticci, Basilicata

Amaro Lucano S.p.A

A family-run amaro from Basilicata, made to the same recipe since 1894.

Founded
1894
Founded by
Pasquale Vena
Based in
Pisticci, Basilicata

Making it since

1894

Their story

Amaro Lucano began in 1894 in the back of a pastry shop in Pisticci, a hill town in Basilicata. Pastry chef Pasquale Vena experimented with more than 30 herbs until he had a bitter liqueur he was proud of, and named it after Lucania, the old name for his region.

By 1900 the Vena family was supplying the royal House of Savoy, whose coat of arms still sits on the label. After hard years around World War II, Vena's sons Leonardo and Giuseppe turned the workshop into a proper company in 1950, and a new factory opened in Pisticci Scalo in 1965.

The business is still owned and run by the Vena family, who have kept the recipe a secret for generations and added sambuca, limoncello and coffee liqueurs to the range.

How it's made

Herbs such as wormwood, clary sage, holy thistle, bitter orange, gentian and angelica are dried, crushed and blended, then steeped in alcohol and water overnight at warm temperatures and pressed. The extract ages for about five months before it is blended with sugar, caramel and essential oils, filtered and bottled.

Why we carry them

We think of Lucano as a great first amaro: rounded, gently bitter and easy to like. Try it neat after dinner or with a splash of soda and an orange slice.

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