The Italian Liqueur You Can Get For A Steal At Trader Joe's

If you're looking to settle the stomach after a large or rich meal, turn to amaro. This bitter Italian liqueur is made from a base of grape brandy and infused with an abundance of herbs, spices, fruits, and roots. The bitterness is balanced by a touch of sweetness and citrus, making for a perfect digestif (not to be mixed up with an aperitif), whether it be sipped on over ice or neat. Aperol, Fernet-Branca, Campari, and Martini & Rossi are top brands that fall under the broad amaro umbrella, but there's another brand you should be aware of, and it's sold at Trader Joe's.

Great recommendations for wine from Trader Joe's employees is one reason to hit up the store's alcohol section. Not all Trader Joe's stock liquor, but if yours does, now you have another reason to shop by the dedicated aisle. For only $10.99, a bottle of Pronto!, the store-brand amaro, can be yours. On average, bottles of amari are priced between $20 and $50, so this is an exceptional deal. While store-brand liquor doesn't seem like a high-quality purchase, Trader Joe's gets a pass; the grocer sources its alcohol from high-quality, albeit anonymous, external distillers and producers.

This amaro is produced in Italy, which adds to its credibility. Pronto! has an 24% ABV, which is a fairly middle-of-the-road alcohol content; amari can fall anywhere between 16% and 40% ABV. The Trader Joe's website describes the liqueur as being "alluringly aromatic herbs and zesty orange peel to create a flavor profile that's bracingly bitter, yet eminently easy-drinking." Like most other amari, the full list of herbs and ingredients is kept a secret.

Is Pronto! worth buying?

With a $10.99 price tag, you're not risking much if you decide to try Pronto! instead of an amaro you're already fond of. Users on the r/Amaro Reddit thread have shared that it's quite good for the price and makes for a great Negroni cocktail. It has key elements of an amaro — floral, slight sweetness, citrus bitterness — but lacks some complexity found in other brands. On a Trader Joe's review website, Pronto! receives a 5-star rating, with customers reporting that it has a taste reminiscent of Campari, but with a little more orange flavor and at a third of the cost.

For ideas on how to drink Pronto!, it's good enough to drink alone, either on the rocks or neat. The Trader Joe's website suggests using it for an Amaro spritz, with two parts Pronto!, three parts sparkling wine, and one part soda water, with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice. Aside from the classic Negroni, the grocer recommends its amaro in cocktails like a Paper Plane and a Black Manhattan.

Overall, the consensus is that Pronto! is a good deal for the price point, so it's worth grabbing a bottle if stocked at your local Trader Joe's. As a balanced amaro, it's also a great option for beginners. It might not live up to the standards of some small specialty producers, but if you're buying a few bottles of TJ's wine, you might as well throw in a bottle of Pronto! for cocktails and post-dinner sipping.

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