Ship of Promises – Maritivo
There are a lot of bitter liqueurs out there. Some are as bitter as Campari. Others are meant to be used as an aperitive. In this case, the folks behind the 20457 Hafencity Gin decided to come up with a slightly bitter and grapefruit forward Aperitivo.
The Maritivo from the makers of the 20457 Hafencity Gin from Hamburg wants to reflect the feeling of a day on the beach in the sun. Therefore, the Aperitivo includes grapefruit, mandarin and bitter orange peel. Additionally, the Maritivo includes rhubarb, gentian root and thyme among other botanicals. Only natural ingredients are used in the production of the liqueur. This also means, that the colour of the bitter comes from sweet potatoes and black carrots.
Grapefruit forward bitter liqueur
The first thing you will taste when sipping the Maritivo is its clear grapefruit note. Only afterwards a slight bitterness becomes noticeable, together with a whiff of gentian root. Furthermore, you get certain herbs and spices and also a hint of rhubarb. The sweetness is noticeable, but not overwhelming. All in all, I enjoyed the liqueur very much as a grapefruit flavoured moderately bitter alternative.
An improved Rum Sour
For a drink using the Maritivo, I decided to go with a simple Rum Sour – it is Tropical Month after all! Instead of just adding the bitter to the drink directly, I instead opted for floating it on top. To emphasise the citrus notes of the Maritivo even more, I added a splash of grapefruit juice and instead of simple syrup, I used the d’Arbo Sicilian Lemon syrup.
1,5 cl Grapefruit Juice
2,25 cl Lime Juice
1,5 cl d’Arbo Sicilian Lemon Syrup Float 2,25 cl Maritivo
Garnish: Dried Lime Wheel;
Song: Villagers – Ship of Promises;
The drink starts with the combination of slight bitter notes and grapefruits from the Maritivo. After a short while, the typical Rum Sour flavour takes over, accompanied by fresh grapefruit juice notes. Towards the end of the sip, the d’Arbo syrup comes into the focus with its notes of preserved lemons and citrus peel. In the end, the “Ship of Promises” is a smooth and refreshing sipper which greatly benefits from the slight bitterness of the Maritivo.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The Maritivo was provided by 20457 Hafencity Gin.
