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Wild Harvested, Wildly Flavorful

Brucato makes amaros using the produce, botanicals, and flavors of California. Each expression begins with local brandy and reflects the spirit of a specific landscape — from fruit orchards and redwood forests to fields of coastal chaparral. Like Italy, the birthplace of the great amaros, California is home to a bounty of exceptional ingredients and inspiring terrain, and we find beauty in bringing them to bottle.

Apricots after harvest laying on table
Blenheim Apricots
Prunus armeniaca 'Blenheim'
1/8
Blenheim are widely considered the best type of apricots, renowned for their vibrant-orange color and rich, tangy flavor. When dried under the California sun, they become a perfect base for our stone-fruit forward Orchards amaro.
California bay leaves on tree
California Bay
Umbellularia californica
2/8
If you love cooking with European bay leaves, you’ll love drinking amaros made from domestic bay lauren even more! The aromas of California bay are pungent, but when used in balance they become delicate and transportive to the beautiful landscapes of California.
yerba santa plant flowering
Yerba Santa
Eriodictyon californicum
3/8
An herb to the chaparral regions of the western United States and Mexico, Yerba Santa once held a prized place in the medicinal practices of both natives and Spanish missionaries. We love it because of its unique herbal character - it is like mint, tea, and licorice were combined into the beautifully serrated leaves of this unique plant.
black mission figs in a pile
Black Mission Fig
Ficus carica 'Mission'
4/8
Black Mission figs are among the most common figs in California, and for good reason! They burst with flavor, revealing a juicy center within a dark blue thin skin. When dried, their flavors darken and intensify - the celebrated flavor in cookies and other treats.
spearmint plant close up
Spearmint
Mentha spicata
5/8
Spearmint plays a leading role in many drinking traditions, from mint tea to mint juleps. Its striking taste profile makes it immediately identifiable, and almost universally loved. We could not imagine a better ingredient to layer into our Chaparral to bring to life the taste of this aromatic, herbal landscape.
Black walnut cut in half next to full walnuts
Black Walnut
Juglans Nigra
6/8
We love the nuts of Black Walnuts for eating, but use the dried hulls of the fruit - a byproduct of nut production. We adore the soft tanins and rich notes that they impart to our amaros.
hand picking elderberries from tree
Elderberry
Sambucus Nigra
7/8
Elderberries are celebrated for their potent antioxidants and deep sweetness for jams, but we think their flavor is best when they are dried. Notes of dark chocolate and a sublime, earthy sweetness emerge, the backbone of our Woodlands amaro.
meyer lemon sitting on canvas background
Meyer Lemon
Citrus × meyeri
8/8
Meyer lemons - a cross between a citron and mandarin - are prized for their relatively sweet flavor and thin, fragrant skin, which we use a bright accent in our Orchards and Chaparral.
×
Prunus armeniaca 'Blenheim'
FOUND IN
Orchards

Blenheim Apricots

Blenheim apricots, known for their intense sweetness and vibrant flavor, originated in Oxfordshire, England, but cultivation grew in earnest when they were introduced to northern California in the 1880s. Orchards spread across Santa Clara Valley and the Los Altos Hills, where farmers grew and sundried the beautiful fruit. Our Blenheims are handpicked at peak ripeness, bursting with auburn juice, and dried on racks under the California sun. We source our dry-farmed, sun-dried Blenheim apricots directly from nearby orchards. We are constantly pillaging our inventory to snack on these sweet, chewy gems!
Prunus armeniaca 'Blenheim'

Blenheim Apricots

Blenheim apricots, known for their intense sweetness and vibrant flavor, originated in Oxfordshire, England, but cultivation grew in earnest when they were introduced to northern California in the 1880s. Orchards spread across Santa Clara Valley and the Los Altos Hills, where farmers grew and sundried the beautiful fruit. Our Blenheims are handpicked at peak ripeness, bursting with auburn juice, and dried on racks under the California sun. We source our dry-farmed, sun-dried Blenheim apricots directly from nearby orchards. We are constantly pillaging our inventory to snack on these sweet, chewy gems!
1
/8
INGREDIENTS

"At the most difficult moments of my life, when it seemed that every door was closed to me, the taste of those apricots comes back to comfort me with the notion that abundance is always within reach, if only one knows how to find it." - Isabel Allende
FOUND IN
Orchards
×
Umbellularia californica
FOUND IN
Chaparral

California Bay

California bay laurel is like the bold sibling of the more familiar culinary bay. It opens with a distinctive peppery kick and then fades into hints of eucalyptus and a subtle sweetness. The evergreen bay tree thrives in the diverse ecosystems of the western United States, from coastal woodlands to interior mountain ranges. It provides dense shade and thus a welcome respite from the region’s often dry hills. We love harvesting bay, as it gives us an excuse to leave the city, run our hands through the aromatic branches, and soak in the pleasure of working in nature. It is particularly fun in fall, when the branches become covered with fruit that look like miniature avocados - not surprising as they are in the same laurel family. They are an intense bite, but we cannot help ourselves when harvesting.
Umbellularia californica

California Bay

California bay laurel is like the bold sibling of the more familiar culinary bay. It opens with a distinctive peppery kick and then fades into hints of eucalyptus and a subtle sweetness. The evergreen bay tree thrives in the diverse ecosystems of the western United States, from coastal woodlands to interior mountain ranges. It provides dense shade and thus a welcome respite from the region’s often dry hills. We love harvesting bay, as it gives us an excuse to leave the city, run our hands through the aromatic branches, and soak in the pleasure of working in nature. It is particularly fun in fall, when the branches become covered with fruit that look like miniature avocados - not surprising as they are in the same laurel family. They are an intense bite, but we cannot help ourselves when harvesting.
2
/8
INGREDIENTS

“Unable to pull myself away, I stayed with my bay laurel friend almost until sunset…” - Kai Siedenburg, Love Poems from the Earth
FOUND IN
Chaparral
×
Eriodictyon californicum
FOUND IN
Chaparral

Yerba Santa

Yerba Santa has some of the most interesting flavors of any herb we have used. It tastes at once of dried mint, licorice, and black and green tea, ebbing between bitter and sweet, bright and dark. The plant itself is a scrubby bush, with serrated long leaves. It has long been revered, used as medicine by native populations and later named yerba santa, or “sainted herb,” by the Spanish because it was believed to be a panacea. It was incorporated into medicinal practices throughout the 1800s because of its ability to mask the bitterness of other medicines. In fact, we took inspiration for our Chaparral from a recipe for an elixir of yerba santa published in the Western Druggist in 1892. We love the lore behind yerba santa, but mostly we love being able to showcase the incredible flavors of this native herb in a distinctly Californian amaro.
Eriodictyon californicum

Yerba Santa

Yerba Santa has some of the most interesting flavors of any herb we have used. It tastes at once of dried mint, licorice, and black and green tea, ebbing between bitter and sweet, bright and dark. The plant itself is a scrubby bush, with serrated long leaves. It has long been revered, used as medicine by native populations and later named yerba santa, or “sainted herb,” by the Spanish because it was believed to be a panacea. It was incorporated into medicinal practices throughout the 1800s because of its ability to mask the bitterness of other medicines. In fact, we took inspiration for our Chaparral from a recipe for an elixir of yerba santa published in the Western Druggist in 1892. We love the lore behind yerba santa, but mostly we love being able to showcase the incredible flavors of this native herb in a distinctly Californian amaro.
3
/8
INGREDIENTS

Other names: “sainted weed” or “blessed herb.”
FOUND IN
Chaparral
×
Ficus carica 'Mission'

Black Mission Fig

We buy our dried Black Mission figs from a cooperative of growers in California’s Central Valley. The beautiful and drought-tolerant trees, with their iconic broad leaves, bring swaths of deep green to the dry landscape. When they ripen in mid fall, the fresh fruits become one of the great delicacies of local farmer’s markets. The bulk of Californoia’s harvest, however, is dried and thus preserved for future snacking, baking and, in our case, making of award-winning amaros. We love the history and lore surrounding figs generally - many claim the tree in Genesis was probably a fig - but it is the sweet, richly caramel notes that draw us to Black Mission figs as a key ingredient in Woodlands.
Ficus carica 'Mission'

Black Mission Fig

We buy our dried Black Mission figs from a cooperative of growers in California’s Central Valley. The beautiful and drought-tolerant trees, with their iconic broad leaves, bring swaths of deep green to the dry landscape. When they ripen in mid fall, the fresh fruits become one of the great delicacies of local farmer’s markets. The bulk of Californoia’s harvest, however, is dried and thus preserved for future snacking, baking and, in our case, making of award-winning amaros. We love the history and lore surrounding figs generally - many claim the tree in Genesis was probably a fig - but it is the sweet, richly caramel notes that draw us to Black Mission figs as a key ingredient in Woodlands.
4
/8
INGREDIENTS

“Fig tree, how long it's been full meaning for me, the way you almost entirely omit to flower and into the seasonably-resolute fruit uncelebratedly thrust your purest secret.” - Rainer Maria Rilke
FOUND IN
Orchards
Woodlands
×
Mentha spicata
FOUND IN
Chaparral

Spearmint

We love working with spearmint. When it is first macerated in our brandy base, the resulting color is brilliant emerald green. This fades with time, as all chlorophyll does in the absence of preservatives or artificial color, into a golden hue. We think of this process as mimicking the changes to California’s hills - fresh green growth following winter rains give way to iconic golden hills of summer. While some spirits makers turn to extracts or dried mint, we firmly believe that only fresh mint can achieve the vibrant herbal qualities, and slightest tingle on the tongue, that we want for Chaparral. We buy spearmint from farms along the west coast, always looking for the freshest and best supply. Adding pound after pound of mint to our macerating amaros makes for one of our favorite moments - the fresh aromas hint of spring and make us feel like anything is possible.
Mentha spicata

Spearmint

We love working with spearmint. When it is first macerated in our brandy base, the resulting color is brilliant emerald green. This fades with time, as all chlorophyll does in the absence of preservatives or artificial color, into a golden hue. We think of this process as mimicking the changes to California’s hills - fresh green growth following winter rains give way to iconic golden hills of summer. While some spirits makers turn to extracts or dried mint, we firmly believe that only fresh mint can achieve the vibrant herbal qualities, and slightest tingle on the tongue, that we want for Chaparral. We buy spearmint from farms along the west coast, always looking for the freshest and best supply. Adding pound after pound of mint to our macerating amaros makes for one of our favorite moments - the fresh aromas hint of spring and make us feel like anything is possible.
5
/8
INGREDIENTS

“It is the Destiny of Mint to be Crushed” –Waverly Lewis Root
FOUND IN
Chaparral
×
Juglans Nigra
FOUND IN
Orchards

Black Walnut

Black walnuts build the layered undernotes, earthy tannins, and dark color of our Orchards amaro. In Italy, one of the most famous amaro styles – noccino – is made predominantly from unripe green walnuts. Instead of using full fruit in a green state, we source dried hull, a byproduct of the American walnut harvest. We love the rich flavor it gives our amaros; and it is always satisfying using a product that might otherwise be diverted to non-food uses and helping it shine. Plus beauty of walnut trees is beyond compare, so we love any chance to collect our own fruit.
Juglans Nigra

Black Walnut

Black walnuts build the layered undernotes, earthy tannins, and dark color of our Orchards amaro. In Italy, one of the most famous amaro styles – noccino – is made predominantly from unripe green walnuts. Instead of using full fruit in a green state, we source dried hull, a byproduct of the American walnut harvest. We love the rich flavor it gives our amaros; and it is always satisfying using a product that might otherwise be diverted to non-food uses and helping it shine. Plus beauty of walnut trees is beyond compare, so we love any chance to collect our own fruit.
6
/8
INGREDIENTS

“A thing which I regret, and which I will try to remedy some time, is that I have never in my life planted a walnut.” – George Orwell
FOUND IN
Orchards
×
Sambucus Nigra

Elderberry

Elderberries are one of those unique plants that is native to multiple continents – North America, Europe, and western Asia. Our local elderberry bushes are typical in riparian regions, where they flourish with year-round sources of groundwater. Their aromatic flowers draw bees and butterflies and their summer berries attract countless birds – and chefs and mixologists alike! Rich in antioxidants, these berries are beloved for their luscious sweetness in syrups and jams. We love these fresh berries, but prefer the concentrated dark-chocolate notes that emerge when they are dried. As there is no viable commercial source for dried elderberries in the United States, we buy our organic elderberries direct from farmers in Ukraine, where they have been tending trees and wild harvesting the fruit for centuries. The quality of these berries is extraordinary and worth the extra miles!

Sambucus Nigra

Elderberry

Elderberries are one of those unique plants that is native to multiple continents – North America, Europe, and western Asia. Our local elderberry bushes are typical in riparian regions, where they flourish with year-round sources of groundwater. Their aromatic flowers draw bees and butterflies and their summer berries attract countless birds – and chefs and mixologists alike! Rich in antioxidants, these berries are beloved for their luscious sweetness in syrups and jams. We love these fresh berries, but prefer the concentrated dark-chocolate notes that emerge when they are dried. As there is no viable commercial source for dried elderberries in the United States, we buy our organic elderberries direct from farmers in Ukraine, where they have been tending trees and wild harvesting the fruit for centuries. The quality of these berries is extraordinary and worth the extra miles!

7
/8
INGREDIENTS

“Flowers and fresh berries are beautiful, but it is only after drying that the elderberries' extraordinary dark chocolate notes emerge.” - Sierra Clark
FOUND IN
Orchards
Woodlands
×
Citrus × meyeri

Meyer Lemon

Meyer lemons - a cross between a citron and mandarin - were brought from China to the United States by Frank N. Meyer, a USDA explorer in the early 1900s. We love Meyer lemons for their sweetly fragrant, floral scent. We peel them by hand or with a mini machine for use in both Orchards and Chaparral. It is a labor of love, but the incredible aromas – and the fun of watching bright yellow spirals emerge - make the work worthwhile. These lemons are best in the first months of the year, when their skin is packed with flavorful oils and bright aromatics. We source our Meyers from the Central Valley or Southern California, where the hot sun ripens them to perfection.
Citrus × meyeri

Meyer Lemon

Meyer lemons - a cross between a citron and mandarin - were brought from China to the United States by Frank N. Meyer, a USDA explorer in the early 1900s. We love Meyer lemons for their sweetly fragrant, floral scent. We peel them by hand or with a mini machine for use in both Orchards and Chaparral. It is a labor of love, but the incredible aromas – and the fun of watching bright yellow spirals emerge - make the work worthwhile. These lemons are best in the first months of the year, when their skin is packed with flavorful oils and bright aromatics. We source our Meyers from the Central Valley or Southern California, where the hot sun ripens them to perfection.
8
/8
INGREDIENTS

"My own hands twist the golden orbs, over and over marveling at their scented beauty." – Ode to Lemons by Michelle Courtney Berry
FOUND IN
Orchards
Chaparral