# Cynar
**Cynar** (pronounced chee-nar) is an Italian bittersweet liqueur, or amaro, made from artichoke leaves and an infusion of 13 herbs and plants, owned by [Campari Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/campari-group) and sold at 16.5% alcohol by volume[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) • [2](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar). It was created by the Venetian entrepreneur Angelo Dalle Molle and launched in Italy in 1952[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All). Its name comes from *Cynara scolymus*, the botanical name of the globe artichoke, whose leaves give the drink its characteristic flavor[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Category | Italian amaro (bitter herbal liqueur), classified by Campari Group in its House of Aperitifs[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) |
| Signature ingredient | Artichoke leaves (*Cynara scolymus*), plus an infusion of 13 herbs and plants; the recipe is a secret and unchanged since creation[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) |
| Origin | Created by Angelo Dalle Molle and launched in Padua, Italy, in 1952[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) • [2](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar) |
| Alcohol content | 16.5% ABV for the flagship bottling; Cynar 70, introduced in 2017, is 35% ABV[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) • [3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/) |
| Serving roles | Both an aperitivo, drunk before a meal, and a digestivo, drunk after; served neat, over ice, or mixed[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/) |
| Top markets | Brazil, Italy, and Switzerland[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) |
| Taste | Bittersweet and vegetal; despite the name and the artichoke on the label, it does not taste markedly of artichoke[2](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar) |
## What it is made of
The recipe is a trade secret, but the maker confirms an infusion of 13 herbs and plants including artichoke, built on natural substances found in artichokes, among them the compound cynarine[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All). Artichoke contributes a subtle vegetal note and also acts through cynarine, which temporarily blocks the tongue's ability to taste sweetness; once the compound is swallowed, sweet perception returns and subsequent foods and drinks taste sweeter by contrast[3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/).
It does not taste like artichoke. Campari Group's own account makes the point directly: it is a liqueur that does not really taste like artichoke[2](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar). Blind tasters report cola-like, caramel, and herbal notes instead. Wine Enthusiast's review of the flagship bottling describes mellow dark chocolate, walnut, and allspice with a bittersweet finish, rating it 91 points on its 100-point scale[5](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/cynar/). Reviewers place its flavor between Aperol, the sweetest of the three well-known Italian aperitivo brands, and Campari, the most bitter[3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/).
## History and marketing
Cynar was launched in 1952 in Padua by Angelo Dalle Molle, described by Campari Group as a Venetian entrepreneur and philanthropist; the group's illustrated brand story adds his brothers Amedeo and Mario to the taste experiments on artichoke leaves that produced the liqueur[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) • [2](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar). A scientific review attributes the product to the artichoke's association with digestion and to Italy's standing in artichoke production[6](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570963912002038).
Cynar became popular in Italy through the Carosello television advertising slot, where the actor Ernesto Calindri performed the first commercials under the claim "Cynar, against the attrition of modern life"[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All). A second wave of attention came in the 1960s through ads featuring the movie stars Ferruccio De Ceresa and Calindri[7](https://www.foodie.com/1508412/what-is-cynar-cocktail-ideas/). It was originally invented as an artichoke aperitivo and marketed through the 1960s and 1970s both as a tonic and as a digestivo, according to a Campari Academy training booklet[8](https://www.campariacademy.com/en-au/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/01/FINAL-_-AMARI-CLUB-BOOKLET.pdf).
Cynar joined Campari Group's portfolio, where it appears alongside Averna, Braulio, and [Frangelico](https://www.edgepedia.org/frangelico) in the group's identity materials[9](https://camparigroup.com/sites/default/files/downloads/05_ANNUAL%20REPORT%20CAMPARI_2023.pdf). In 2017 the company introduced **Cynar 70**, a 70-proof (35% ABV) bottling built on the same proprietary recipe, developed in response to bartenders substituting Cynar for stronger amaros in drinks such as the Negroni[3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/).
## How it is drunk
Cynar occupies a double role. It is an aperitivo, traditionally served before a meal, and a digestivo, sipped after; both are usually served neat or over ice[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/). Its moderate 16.5% alcohol makes it suitable as a pre- or post-dinner drink, and its lower strength than gin allows it to replace spirits in light mixed drinks without overpowering them[1](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All) • [3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/).
**Signature serves.** Several drinks recur across bartender guides:
- The Cynar Spritz, Cynar with prosecco and a splash of soda over ice, replaces Aperol for an earthier, less sweet, darker result[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/).
- Substituting Cynar for Campari in a [Negroni](https://www.edgepedia.org/negroni), sometimes called a Cyn Cyn, or for Aperol in a Paper Plane[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/).
- The Bitter Giuseppe, a modern classic built like a [Manhattan](https://www.edgepedia.org/manhattan-cocktail) with Cynar, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, and orange bitters; lemon balances the sweetness of the Cynar-vermouth combination[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/).
- A Cynar and tonic, a lower-alcohol alternative to a gin and tonic, brightened with a lemon wedge[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/).
Country-specific traditions have formed abroad. In Brazil, Cynar is mixed half-and-half with cachaça in the rabo-de-galo, a fixture of the country's bars[10](https://amaroaficionado.com/encyclopedia/cynar). In Argentina it is served long with grapefruit soda[10](https://amaroaficionado.com/encyclopedia/cynar). Bartenders also use Cynar in small quantities as a modifier to add depth to fruity drinks, particularly ones based on red fruits such as cherries and strawberries, and it pairs with chocolate and vanilla[4](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/).
## Position among amaros
Amaro is the Italian category of bitter botanical liqueurs, made by macerating herbs, roots, bark, and citrus in alcohol and sweetening the result[11](https://www.grappanonino.it/app/uploads/2020/09/liquor_24092020.pdf). Within it, Cynar heads the carciofi, or artichoke bitters, subfamily, a tradition the Tasting Table explainer traces to Roman times, when the fibrous parts of artichokes and related thistles were cooked down in wine or water[12](https://www.tastingtable.com/693492/what-is-cynar-artichoke-italian-bitters-explainer/).
Cynar's low strength shapes its role. Most amaro sits around 20% to 25% alcohol, and the flagship Cynar, at 16.5%, is gentler than many of its peers, which makes it useful in low-proof cocktails and approachable as a first amaro; one wine-studies educator quoted by Wine Enthusiast calls it a good gateway amaro, sweeter and less harsh than related drinks[13](https://www.tastings.com/Spirits-Review/Cynar-Ricetta-Originale-Italy-Liter-08-15-2024.aspx) • [3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/). For drinkers who want more intensity, Cynar 70 doubles the alcohol while keeping the flavor base, and is suited to split-base cocktails or chilled after-dinner sipping[3](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/).
## References
1. [Cynar, Brands, Campari Group](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/pages/brands?brand_house_category=All)
2. [Cynar, The Spiritheque, Campari Group](https://www.camparigroup.com/en/spiritheque/cynar)
3. [Cynar: The Bitter Liqueur That Makes Simple Cocktails Taste Expensive, Food Republic](https://www.foodrepublic.com/1506333/how-use-cynar-cocktails/)
4. [How to Use Cynar, According to Bartenders, Wine Enthusiast](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/cynar-cocktail-recipes-guide/)
5. [Cynar Rating and Review, Wine Enthusiast](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/cynar/)
6. [Artichoke and Cynar liqueur: Two (not quite) entangled proteomes, Biochimie (ScienceDirect)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570963912002038)
7. [What Is Cynar And How Do You Drink It?, Foodie](https://www.foodie.com/1508412/what-is-cynar-cocktail-ideas/)
8. [Amari Club Booklet, Campari Academy](https://www.campariacademy.com/en-au/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/01/FINAL-_-AMARI-CLUB-BOOKLET.pdf)
9. [Campari Group Annual Report 2023](https://camparigroup.com/sites/default/files/downloads/05_ANNUAL%20REPORT%20CAMPARI_2023.pdf)
10. [Cynar Review: Taste and History, Amaro Aficionado](https://amaroaficionado.com/encyclopedia/cynar)
11. [Liquor.com amaro feature (24 September 2020), via Grappa Nonino press archive](https://www.grappanonino.it/app/uploads/2020/09/liquor_24092020.pdf)
12. [What Is Cynar And What Does It Taste Like?, Tasting Table](https://www.tastingtable.com/693492/what-is-cynar-artichoke-italian-bitters-explainer/)
13. [Cynar Ricetta Originale Italy Spirits Review, Tastings.com](https://www.tastings.com/Spirits-Review/Cynar-Ricetta-Originale-Italy-Liter-08-15-2024.aspx)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Beverages and drink culture › Spirits, cocktails, and alcoholic drink culture › Liqueurs, vermouth, and aperitif/digestif drinks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license