Ingredients
The recipe is secret and family-held. Only four botanicals are officially named — mountain wormwood, gentian, musk yarrow and juniper — foraged in the mountains above Bormio, macerated in neutral spirit and then rested in large Slavonian oak. Retail copy often cites "thirteen herbs," but the remaining botanicals have never been disclosed; the list below marks the commonly cited guesses as such.
- ✦Mountain wormwood (assenzio) — confirmed
- ✦Gentian root — confirmed
- ✦Musk yarrow (achillea moscata) — confirmed
- ✦Juniper berry — confirmed
- ✦Alpine mint — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Chamomile — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Wild angelica — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Star anise — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Bitter orange peel — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Rhubarb root — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Pine and fir shoots — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Cinnamon bark — commonly cited, unconfirmed
- ✦Cardamom — commonly cited, unconfirmed
History of the Brand
Braulio was created in 1875 by Francesco Peloni, son of the Bormio pharmacist Giuseppe Peloni, who blended local alpine botanicals into a tonic sold across the counter as a digestive remedy. The name comes from Monte Braulio, the peak that rises above the Stelvio Pass just outside town.
For decades it stayed a Valtellina secret — a bottle passed around after dinner in mountain rifugi and ski huts. The Peloni family kept production in Bormio, aging the liqueur in enormous Slavonian oak casks stored in cellars beneath the town, where the cold alpine air slows oxidation and softens the bitterness.
Ownership changed hands over the twentieth century before the brand came to Fratelli Averna, and Braulio passed to Campari Group in 2014 as part of Campari's purchase of Averna. The Peloni family still guards the recipe and oversees production, and infusion and cask aging remain in Bormio — though final bottling has been reported at a Campari facility in Piedmont.
Among American bartenders Braulio became the gateway alpine amaro in the 2010s: the bottle that explained why 'herbal' and 'bitter' were not the same thing, and the one poured to convert Fernet skeptics.
Tasting Characteristics
Pine needle and crushed mint up front, then dried orange peel, menthol and a faint smell of woodsmoke and old wood cellar.
Silky and only lightly sweet. Fir resin and juniper lead, followed by cola nut, caramel and star anise, with gentian bitterness building underneath rather than on top.
Long, cooling and dry — the menthol lingers like an alpine breath while the oak leaves a soft caramel warmth.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Neat at cellar temperature in a small cordial or Nick & Nora glass — the traditional Bormio after-dinner pour.
- 02On a single large rock with a wide strip of orange peel.
- 03Chilled straight from the freezer alongside an espresso.
- 04Split-based in a Negroni or Boulevardier in place of half the sweet vermouth.
Where to Get It
Widely distributed in the US and Europe, and easy to find in any shop with a serious Italian shelf. In Italy it is stocked in nearly every bar and alimentari in Lombardy.
Local bottle shops
Look in the amaro or Italian liqueur section — most well-stocked stores carry it around $32.
Online spirits retailers
Shipping availability depends on your state; expect $30–$40 plus delivery.
In Bormio, Italy
The distillery in the town center runs tastings and cellar tours, and sells bottles you will not see abroad.
Where to buy Braulio
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