Il Concerto, one of the oldest liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast

Another typical product of the Amalfi Coast is Concerto, a dark and very dense distillate of aromatic herbs, with a unique and unmistakable taste. The name derives from the harmony of the ingredients that compose it: a true symphony of flavours. Its alcohol content is around 30° and it is one of the oldest liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast. In addition to being enjoyed simply as it is, it is also used to prepare sauces to accompany meat or chocolate aubergines, a typical dessert of the city of Maiori.
It is the result of an ancient recipe, the invention of which is attributed to the nuns of the Royal Conservatory of Saints Giuseppe and Teresa, in the hamlet of Pucara in Tramonti. It was created by a certain Sister Cecilia, who one day decided to prepare a rosolio by mixing together coffee, barley, liquorice, fennel, cloves, nutmeg, edelweiss and mint. The liqueur was immediately a great success and although the sisters insistently asked for the recipe and doses, Sister Cecilia kept the secret until the end of her days. This aura of mystery increased the fame of the Concerto to such an extent that attempts were made to imitate it in all the houses on the coast. Today every family has its own recipe, which is handed down from generation to generation.
In local herbalist shops and pharmacies you can find a concoction of herbs in already established doses but, for those who want to prepare it at home without using the preparation, here is the recipe in the version that comes closest to the one invented at the Pucara Conservatory.
Ingredients
25 grams vulgar anise
15 grams star anise
15 grams cinnamon stick
10 grams cloves
25 grams coriander
25 grams juniper berries
25 grams red sandalwood
20 grams aromatic calamus
5 grams vanillin
1 nutmeg
1 liter of alcohol
1 peel of a lemon
1 kg of barley
2.5 kg of sugar
6 cups of coffee
4 liters of water
Method
All the finely chopped herbs and spices are left to macerate in alcohol for forty days together with the lemon peel. After forty days, the four liters of water are boiled with the barley and once boiling is reached, this liquid is left to rest for two days. After that, the mixture obtained with the barley is filtered and the sugar is added, leaving it on a moderate heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the coffee. At this point, the preparation is filtered and left to macerate in alcohol and the two liquids obtained are mixed together. After bottling it is necessary to let the rosolio mature at least two months before consuming it.
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