The 8 Best Substitutes For Punt E Mes

What can I use instead of Punt E Mes? We found the best substitutes for Punt E Mes to be Cynar, Cocchi Americano Rossa, Campari Bitter Liqueur, 9 Di Dante Inferno Vermouth, Belsazar Red, Lillet Rouge, Mondino Amaro, Aperol Aperitivo.

Punt e Mes is an Italian vermouth leading to a more bitter flavor, characterized as half a point of bitterness and a point of sweetness. It falls somewhere on the scales between the body of a sweet vermouth like regular Rosso vermouth and a substantial herbal bitterness of a Campari. Substitutes range from fortified wines, amaros and vermouths.

The Best Punt E Mess Substitutes

Cynar

Cynar makes an interesting substitute for Punt e Mes.

Cynar is an Italian aperitif made from a closely guarded recipe of 13 botanicals, of which the primary plant is artichoke. Created by Venetian entrepreneur and philanthropist Angello Dalle Molle in Padua in 1952.

Produced by the Campari Group, it’s a bittersweet liqueur with a mild 16.5% ABV (33° proof) with savory characteristics with stewed vegetable notes.

It is balanced by hints of sweet caramel toffee topped with quinine bitterness, while brown cinnamon spices add depth to the attributes of Cynar.

It was first created as a pre-and post-dinner drink. Still, mixologists have created a new spicy take on classic cocktails like the Cynar Negroni and Cynar Sprits.

Cocchi Americano Rosa

Cocchi Americano Rosa makes a bittersweet substitute for Punt e Mes.

Cocchi Americano Rosa is a new addition to the list of aromatized wines made by Giulio Cocchi since 1891.

Based on two wine variants, Brachetto and Malvasia, from Piedmont, Italy, the extracts of gentian, cinchona, citrus peel, ginger, rose petals, and vanilla is added to create a 16.5% ABV (33° proof) aperitif.

It opens with an initial sweetness of fresh red berry fruit enveloped in sensual notes of vanilla before gentian, herbs, and spices quickly dry it with hints of pink grapefruit.

Perfect for a large glass filled with ice and splashed with soda to enjoy the complexity of herbs and the refreshing flavors of pink grapefruit.

If you want to spice it up, swap the soda for ginger beer or tonic water for that extra bitterness.

Campari Bitter Liqueur

A well-known aperitif, Campari makes an excellent substitute for Punt e Mes.

Created in the cellar of Caffe Campari in Milan, Italy, by Gaspare Campari between 1860 and 1867.

Gaspare experimented with blends of botanicals before making the famous Campari, distilled and macerated with 68 different herbs and spices.

It is sold at various ABV strengths worldwide, from 20.5% to 28.5%; however, the US market maintains a 25% ABV (50° proof).

It’s a herbaceous liqueur with quinine bitterness at the forefront, balanced with a syrupy sweetness from the honey. The flavors of blood orange, muddled with mint, and hints of cherry offer a complex characteristic.

The linger is bitter with notes of orange zest and orange pith, while it fades on notes of cloves.

It’s an essential ingredient to a negroni but adds a welcomed bitterness to a tallgrass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

9 Di Dante Inferno Vermouth

9 di Dante is artisanal vermouth that makes a playful substitute for Punt e Mes.

The brainchild of Alex Ouzil, under the mentorship of Master Blender Mario Baralis, creates a liquid rendition of the comedic 1320 masterpiece poem from Dante Alighieri about his journey through hell.

9 di Dante showcases the powerful struggle of 27 botanicals, created at 17.5% ABV (35° proof) with equal blends of Dolcetta red and Cortese white wines from the Piemonte Hills in Italy, with a careful selection of botanicals to guide you through the 9 circles of hell.

Made to awaken your senses from the seductive red hues to the lust of fruity red berries, cherries, and bitter orange.

A full-bodied experience balances herbal citrus and fresh, mild bitterness on the spicier side of vermouths.

It is made to inject new life and create sinful pleasure in the classic Americano and Negroni cocktails.

Belsazar Red

Belsazar Red is a unique substitute for tradition and modernization for Punt e Mes.

Produced in the Black Forest, Germany, Belsazar Red is blended from a base of Muscat Cuvee and Red wine Cuvee from South Baden regions married with a fruity cherry brandy from Schladerer to produce bittersweet vermouth with 18% ABV (36° proof) with complex aromas.

Sweet impressions are offset by bitter wormwood to create a bittersweet aperitif with a tarty spice profile of luscious red berries, with notes of tart plum jam.

The licorice and vanilla add a hint of sweetness with the bittersweet nuances of orange peel and dark chocolate with clove and cinnamon spices.

Belsazar Red is ideal for creating a refreshingly spicy Belsazar Red & Ginger, the blend of bittersweet and spicy ginger ale makes an explosive highball.

Lillet Rouge

A little French number, Lillet Rouge is a flirty substitute for Punt e Mes.

Maison Lillet was founded in 1872 by two brothers in a little village called Pondesac, Bordeaux, France.

Today a skilled production team of only ten dedicated people produces the perfect lady in red from the original recipe created in 1962.

A subtle blend of wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes blended with liqueurs and herbs, aged for twelve months in Yugoslav oak casks, adding a touch of tannin, and then bottled at 17% ABV (34° proof).

Fruity-led wine with hints of bitter quinine offers a bouquet of fresh orange tang, dry, fruity grapes, and a subtle hint of black pepper laced with juicy berries and vanilla nuances.

A refreshing companion to some bubbly tonic accentuating the zesty notes of citrus for a genuinely refreshing sundowner that can be enjoyed with snacks and desserts.

Mondino Amaro

Mondino Amaro makes an organic substitute for Punt e Mes.

Produced at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps in Germany by Brennerei Schnitzer, Mondino Amaro is a bitter aperitif with an 18% ABV (36° proof) made from an Italian recipe.

Made from freshly macerated bitter oranges from the Italian Almafi coast, it gets its pleasant sourness from fresh rhubarb, its tanginess from gentian, and its crisp red color from hibiscus florals.

Mixed with the best Bavarian natural spring water, it creates a full-bodied, alcoholic pleasure that is organically cultivated and regionally sourced when possible.

Savors of sweet berry fruit open the palate to sour zesty citrus with a complex nuance of gentian and herbal bitterness with an echo of black pepper and cinnamon spice.

A fine German aperitif for a classical Negroni or fizzy Spritz.

Aperol Aperitivo

Aperol Aperitivo is an excellent low-alcohol substitute for Punt e Mes.

Produced by the Barbieri company established in 1891 in Padua, Italy, the Aperol Aperitivo was created by Giuseppe Barbieri’s two sons in 1919 for the Padua international fair.

The low alcohol content of 11% ABV (22° proof) is an infusion of 16 botanicals, including citrus fruit and roots.

A pleasantly mild bittersweet liqueur of zesty bitter orange blended with delicate herbal undertones of Chinese rhubarb with faint notes of wood from the quinine roots and a trickle of salinity brings this crispy orange-hued liqueur together.

So popular it was given its own signature drink with the Aperol Spritz.