"Punt e Mes" translates loosely to "One and a half" and refers to the legend of its origin. As the story is told, in the late 1800s a stockbroker sat in in the Carpano wine shop and chatted about the increase in share prices that day, a point and a half. He ordered his usual pour of Carpano sweet vermouth but, in the spirit celebrating the share prices, asked for the bartender to add half a pour of bitter, using the dialect expression “Punt e Mes”. The legend quickly spread and eventually became so popular that Carpano began doing a separate bottling of this new, trendy aperitif. Deep black-red in color, the nose and palate bring to mind Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, with a full body and rich sweetness upfront that is balanced by a heavy hit of quinine-like bitterness on the back end. For those feeling fatigued by the usual, classic Negroni, sub Punt e Mes into the recipe in place of sweet vermouth to add more depth and complexity. Delizioso! *Spirits available for in-store pickup & local delivery. For NY state shipping, call the shop directly.