●THE AMARO ATLAS

RECORD pineral · EVIDENCE GRADE B · UNCLAIMED · LAST VERIFIED 2026-07-09

Pineral

Buenos Aires · Argentina · -34.604, -58.382

REGION: latin americaTRADITION: AmargoEST. 1864WEBSITE ↗

ZONE 01 — VERIFIED FACTS

Founded
1864, by Hermenegildo Pini, an Italian immigrant from Lierna, using a recipe shared by his cousin AchilleB·3
Founding company
Pini Hermanos & Cía, which grew into one of the largest liqueur companies in South America (reportedly ~600,000 bottles/year at its peak)B·3
Current owner
Grupo Cepas (legal entity Cepas Argentinas S.A.), headquartered in Buenos Aires with production at its Burzaco plant, Buenos Aires ProvinceA·2
ABV (current, producer-listed)
29.5%A·1
ABV (historical, press-cited)
36%B·4
Composition
Spirit-based maceration of roughly 30 aromatic herbs, citrus peel and caramelA·1
Bottle format
750ml, single core product lineA·1
Cultural note
Tango composer Ángel Villoldo dedicated an instrumental piece titled 'Pineral' to the drink; nicknamed 'the Fernet of the poor' during the 1930s 'Infamous Decade' for its similarity to fernet at a lower price pointB·3

ZONE 02 — AI-COLLATED SUMMARY

AI-ASSISTED · FROM GRADED PUBLIC SOURCES

Pineral is a spirit-based Argentine amargo created in 1864 by Italian immigrant Hermenegildo Pini in Buenos Aires, using a bitter recipe from his cousin Achille. Made by macerating alcohol with roughly thirty aromatic herbs, citrus peel and caramel, it delivers liquorice and menthol notes against orange peel and toasted caramel. Now produced by Grupo Cepas (Cepas Argentinas S.A.) at its Burzaco facility, the producer's current site lists 29.5% ABV, though multiple press sources consistently cite the historical strength as 36%, a discrepancy not yet resolved against a label. The producer's own site uses the legacy market label 'Aperitivo Vermouth' but the confirmed ingredient base is spirit, not wine. It remains one of Argentina's longest-running aperitivos, alongside sibling brands Hesperidina and Amargo Obrero.

AI-collated from the graded sources below; operator review pending

ZONE 03 — PRODUCER-SUBMITTED NOTES

This record is unclaimed. This space opens to the producer when they claim it. Producer claiming is coming soon.

PRODUCTS ON RECORD

Pineral Aperitivo Amargo

29.5% ABV

BOTTLE IMAGE
ADDED BY THE PRODUCER

SUBCATEGORY bitterRING coreTRADITION AmargoSELF-IDENTIFIED “—”

A spirit-based Argentine amargo made by macerating alcohol with around thirty aromatic herbs, citrus peel and caramel. Liquorice and menthol notes sit alongside orange peel and toasted caramel aromas, in the same bitter-aperitivo family as Hesperidina and Amargo Obrero. The producer's current listed strength is 29.5% ABV; historical press sources consistently cite 36% ABV for the traditional recipe, so the figure may have been reduced at some point, though this has not been confirmed against a label or technical data sheet. Note: the producer's own site uses the legacy Argentine market label 'Aperitivo Vermouth', but the confirmed ingredient base is a neutral spirit, not wine.

BOTANICAL MATRIX — 5 GRADED EDGES

  • Aromatic herbs (approx. 30, unspecified mix) · bittering baseA·1
  • Citrus peel · aromatic top noteA·1
  • Caramel · colour and toasted sweetnessA·1
  • Liquorice (root, implied by tasting note) · flavour noteA·1
  • Mint/menthol botanical (unspecified) · cooling flavour noteA·1

DESCRIPTORS

  • liquorice ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • menthol ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • orange peel ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • toasted caramel ▮▮▮▮▮A·1

SERVES

Pineral Julep

producer
  • · 40% Pineral
  • · 60% grapefruit juice
  • · Juice of half a lime
  • · 1 tbsp sugar
  • · 3 fresh mint sprigs
  • · Abundant ice

Build over abundant ice and stir with fresh mint sprigs to release aromatics.B·4

ZONE 04 — COMMUNITY TASTING NOTES

RESERVED — community notes open in V2 with moderation and bias handling. The contributions ledger is already recording.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Where is Pineral made?
Pineral is made in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was founded in 1864.
What style of amaro is Pineral?
On The Amaro Atlas, Pineral Aperitivo Amargo is recorded in the core ring, bitter subcategory, within the Amargo tradition.

SOURCES — A–D GRADED (5)

  1. [1]APineral — product page · Grupo Cepas · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-09Current producer-listed ABV (29.5%), bottle size, botanical description and tasting notes. Producer uses legacy label 'Aperitivo Vermouth' but ingredient list confirms spirit base, no wine.
  2. [2]AQuiénes somos — Grupo Cepas · Grupo Cepas · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-09Corporate history, production facilities (Burzaco, Buenos Aires plant), brand portfolio including Pineral.
  3. [3]BAperitivos argentinos: la historia de las bebidas que cruzaron generaciones · Infobae · press · accessed 2026-07-09Founder Hermenegildo Pini, 1864 arrival from Lierna, cousin Achille's recipe, Pini Hermanos y Cía, historical 36% ABV, ~600,000 bottles/year, tango dedication by Ángel Villoldo. Verified 1864 date and 'Fernet of the poor' nickname independently corroborated via secondary search 2026-07-09.
  4. [4]BLos viejos aperitivos argentinos están de moda · El Cronista · press · accessed 2026-07-09Corroborates 1864 founding, Hermenegildo Pini, German bitter recipe from cousin Achille, 36% historical ABV, Industrial Union presidency 1922, Pineral Julep serve recipe (re-verified exact recipe 2026-07-09).
  5. [5]CCepas Argentinas S.A. — company profile · Dun & Bradstreet · database · accessed 2026-07-09Corporate/legal entity confirmation for Cepas Argentinas S.A., located Avellaneda, Buenos Aires. Page is bot-gated (no content on direct fetch); legal name independently corroborated via IWSC company profile (iwsc.net) listing Cepas Argentinas S.A. as the entity behind Pineral/Hesperidina/Amargo Obrero.

A producer-official / regulatory · B reputable published · C secondary · D community/unverified