Frangelico Liqueur
Frangelico Liqueur is a 750mL Italian hazelnut liqueur bottled at 20% ABV, produced in Canale, Piedmont, from the region's prized Tonda Gentile hazelnuts — toasted, crushed, infused and distilled — then blended with coffee, cocoa and vanilla. It arrives in the famous friar-shaped bottle, rope cincture and all, named for Fra' Angelico, the hermit monk of Piedmont legend said to have devised liqueur recipes in the hills where Italy's finest hazelnuts grow. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 20% (current bottling)
- Size: 750mL
- Base: Tonda Gentile hazelnuts, Piedmont
- Flavourings: Hazelnut distillate with coffee, cocoa and vanilla
- Origin: Canale, Piedmont, Italy; brand created 1978
- Bottle: Friar-shaped, with a rope cincture
The Friar in the Bottle, the Hazelnut in the Glass
Piedmont's Tonda Gentile is the hazelnut chocolatiers fight over — plump, uniform, and clean-skinned when toasted, so no bitter note survives into the distillate. Frangelico, created in 1978 and made in Canale under Campari Group since 2010, builds everything on it: the nuts are toasted and crushed, infused in alcohol and water, and distilled, before coffee, cocoa and vanilla extracts join the blend. The name and bottle honour the brand's founding legend — a hermit monk, Fra' Angelico, gathering wild hazelnuts and botanicals in those same hills centuries ago, in the long tradition of monastic liqueur-making the live copy's "300 years of monks" line descends from. Find more Italian liqueurs in our spirits collection and the producer's other pours on the Frangelico vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Summarised from the brand profile: pale gold in the glass; intense toasted hazelnut on the nose with vanilla and dark chocolate beneath; a rich, lightly syrupy palate of roasted hazelnut, vanilla, cocoa and a mocha touch, with nutty toffee and a faint citrus lift into a long, smooth, sweet finish.
How to Enjoy
Over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime — the house serve — or with soda, chilled as a shot, and anywhere Nutella flavours belong: coffee, dessert cocktails and an Espresso Martini variant. More after-dinner bottles are across our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Frangelico taste like?
Toasted hazelnut first — it is a hazelnut liqueur — layered with vanilla, cocoa and coffee, sweet and smooth at 20% ABV. Think liquid praline rather than nut-bitterness.
Why is the Frangelico bottle shaped like a monk?
The bottle honours Fra' Angelico, the hermit monk of Piedmont legend for whom the liqueur is named, and is moulded as a friar's habit complete with a rope cincture tied at the waist.
What hazelnuts are used in Frangelico?
Tonda Gentile, Piedmont's prized variety — the same hazelnuts the chocolate industry prizes — toasted, crushed, infused and distilled at Canale.
Liquid praline in a friar's habit — order Frangelico online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.