Capitoline Tiber Aperitivo 750ml

Capitoline began in the mid-2000s within the Washington, D.C. restaurant world, when Etto co-owner Peter Pastan and bar manager Kat Hamidi started experimenting with Italian-inspired vermouths and aromatized wines. Years of tinkering led to the brand's official 2015 launch, and in 2018 the pair introduced Tiber, a bitter orange aperitivo made in partnership with New Columbia Distillers, the Washington-based producers behind Green Hat Gin. Capitoline has since grown from a local project into a presence on shelves across multiple states.

Tiber starts from a base spirit distilled from red winter wheat harvested in Virginia, the same grain base used in New Columbia's gin. That spirit is infused with generous amounts of fresh citrus and Seville orange, warming spices like cardamom and ginger, and bittering botanicals including wormwood, all built by hand in small batches. Cochineal, a traditional natural dye extracted from insects, gives the finished liqueur its distinctive ruddy orange color, an old-school touch shared by a number of craft producers.

The result is layered and complex, opening with orange and ginger spice before giving way to bracing rhubarb and gentian bitterness. The finish carries long, with lingering bitterness balanced by bright citrus zest and warm spice throughout.