How Italian amaro Super Punch became a Pittsburgh cult classic
By Katie Blackley
June 12, 2025 at 5:35 AM EDT
Described as “blood,” “bubble gum” and “Jaeger’s fun cousin who went to Pitt and was out on the South Side,” the taste of the Italian amaro “Super Punch” is as complicated as being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan during a rough season.
The spirit is uniquely Pittsburgh, as this is the only city in the U.S. that imports and distributes it to bars and restaurants around the country.
On a recent Wednesday evening, two adjacent bars, Independent Brewing Company and Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill, are filled with customers chatting, listening to vinyl records and enjoying the venue’s signature cocktails and beers. It’s a weekly event co-owner Adam Henry said is called “Dead Wednesday,” where they promote their 600-plus bottle list of rum. But somewhere within their arsenal of rum bottles, he said, is a bottle of Super Punch.
“I like to think [Super Punch is] an experience, whether you like it or not,” Henry said. “It’s something that you will remember, for good or bad.”
Henry’s bars, like many in the Pittsburgh area, have used Super Punch in a variety of ways, including putting it on tap to create a carbonated beverage and serving it in little French cordial glasses. It’s something, Henry said, that bartenders like to give to patrons even just to try. Taste-wise, it’s a bit licorice-y, very syrupy and kind of coats your mouth.
“For us, it’s more of a little ritual or experience than something we were hoping to really make any money on,” Henry said. “It's not native to Pittsburgh, but it really is only known or certainly best known in this area, and that felt like something worth celebrating.”
The Independent Brewing Company has used Super Punch in a variety of ways, including regular shots and adding to their draft system. (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Former Pittsburgh bartender and current Los Angeles resident Lex Gernon-Wyatt first tasted Super Punch when he worked at Independent Brewing Company. He likens it to Jeppson’s Malört, a wormwood-based digestif that many consider a staple of Chicago bar and drinking culture.
“We had Super Punch on draft, which gives it its own fun sort of bubbly, effervescent thing that I fell in love with,” Gernon-Wyatt said. “Just like Chicago having Malört, Pittsburgh having Super Punch is really kind of special.”
How did Super Punch get popular in Pittsburgh?
There’s only one importer of Super Punch: John D’Andrea, owner of D'Andrea Wine & Liquor Imports in Penn Hills. His company has been bringing the amaro to Pittsburgh for decades, primarily due to his family’s connection with the spirit. His dad came to the U.S. in the 1950s, and in his early years, he worked in construction throughout Pittsburgh.
“Super Punch is a staple in Abruzzi [also called Abruzzo], Italy. So where my dad was from, everybody had it, knew it, drank it, consumed it, used it,” D’Andrea said. “They used it for many different purposes. Back then, it could have been as an elixir, right? To cure all when you have a cold or flu symptoms. And they still do that.”
John D'Andrea holds a bottle of Super Punch at his company's office in Penn Hills. (1901x1402, AR: 1.355920114122682)
“Jannamico’s Super Punch” is produced in Lanciano, Italy. In the decades the D’Andrea family has been importing the spirit, John said, it’s not been easy due to its high 88-proof alcohol content. Government regulations around a product with such a high alcohol content, as well as the various ingredients involved, can make it expensive to bring in.
“We tried to stop bringing it in several times because it's not easy to bring in. It's very costly with taxes,” he said. “But we were continuously forced to bring it back by some of these old Italian traditionalists.”
While Super Punch isn’t the most requested item at Pittsburgh bars and restaurants, it holds significance for families of Italian heritage. D’Andrea said his company also distribute it to cities with Italian neighborhoods around the U.S. such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. In Pennsylvania, the state liquor stores won’t always have a bottle of Super Punch on their shelves, but people can request it.
The appearance of a bottle of Super Punch is distinct, D’Andrea said, namely because of the bad translation that appears on the back.
Here’s one line: With ice and soda its refreshin. Moreover it is unequalled in flavour when combined with ice cream when sprinkled on.
“Everybody loves the spelling errors on the back label, so we purposely don't change them anymore,” D’Andrea said.
The bottle features bright green flames shooting upward from the bottom, a deep red label and red waxy top, and, of course, D’Andrea’s company listed as the U.S. importer.
Next time you’re at a local bar or restaurant, consider asking if maybe they could dust off their bottle of Super Punch — it’s probably around somewhere! — and give you a taste.
The spirit is uniquely Pittsburgh, as this is the only city in the U.S. that imports and distributes it to bars and restaurants around the country.
On a recent Wednesday evening, two adjacent bars, Independent Brewing Company and Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill, are filled with customers chatting, listening to vinyl records and enjoying the venue’s signature cocktails and beers. It’s a weekly event co-owner Adam Henry said is called “Dead Wednesday,” where they promote their 600-plus bottle list of rum. But somewhere within their arsenal of rum bottles, he said, is a bottle of Super Punch.
“I like to think [Super Punch is] an experience, whether you like it or not,” Henry said. “It’s something that you will remember, for good or bad.”
Henry’s bars, like many in the Pittsburgh area, have used Super Punch in a variety of ways, including putting it on tap to create a carbonated beverage and serving it in little French cordial glasses. It’s something, Henry said, that bartenders like to give to patrons even just to try. Taste-wise, it’s a bit licorice-y, very syrupy and kind of coats your mouth.
“For us, it’s more of a little ritual or experience than something we were hoping to really make any money on,” Henry said. “It's not native to Pittsburgh, but it really is only known or certainly best known in this area, and that felt like something worth celebrating.”
The Independent Brewing Company has used Super Punch in a variety of ways, including regular shots and adding to their draft system. (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Former Pittsburgh bartender and current Los Angeles resident Lex Gernon-Wyatt first tasted Super Punch when he worked at Independent Brewing Company. He likens it to Jeppson’s Malört, a wormwood-based digestif that many consider a staple of Chicago bar and drinking culture.
“We had Super Punch on draft, which gives it its own fun sort of bubbly, effervescent thing that I fell in love with,” Gernon-Wyatt said. “Just like Chicago having Malört, Pittsburgh having Super Punch is really kind of special.”
How did Super Punch get popular in Pittsburgh?
There’s only one importer of Super Punch: John D’Andrea, owner of D'Andrea Wine & Liquor Imports in Penn Hills. His company has been bringing the amaro to Pittsburgh for decades, primarily due to his family’s connection with the spirit. His dad came to the U.S. in the 1950s, and in his early years, he worked in construction throughout Pittsburgh.
“Super Punch is a staple in Abruzzi [also called Abruzzo], Italy. So where my dad was from, everybody had it, knew it, drank it, consumed it, used it,” D’Andrea said. “They used it for many different purposes. Back then, it could have been as an elixir, right? To cure all when you have a cold or flu symptoms. And they still do that.”
John D'Andrea holds a bottle of Super Punch at his company's office in Penn Hills. (1901x1402, AR: 1.355920114122682)
“Jannamico’s Super Punch” is produced in Lanciano, Italy. In the decades the D’Andrea family has been importing the spirit, John said, it’s not been easy due to its high 88-proof alcohol content. Government regulations around a product with such a high alcohol content, as well as the various ingredients involved, can make it expensive to bring in.
“We tried to stop bringing it in several times because it's not easy to bring in. It's very costly with taxes,” he said. “But we were continuously forced to bring it back by some of these old Italian traditionalists.”
While Super Punch isn’t the most requested item at Pittsburgh bars and restaurants, it holds significance for families of Italian heritage. D’Andrea said his company also distribute it to cities with Italian neighborhoods around the U.S. such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. In Pennsylvania, the state liquor stores won’t always have a bottle of Super Punch on their shelves, but people can request it.
The appearance of a bottle of Super Punch is distinct, D’Andrea said, namely because of the bad translation that appears on the back.
Here’s one line: With ice and soda its refreshin. Moreover it is unequalled in flavour when combined with ice cream when sprinkled on.
“Everybody loves the spelling errors on the back label, so we purposely don't change them anymore,” D’Andrea said.
The bottle features bright green flames shooting upward from the bottom, a deep red label and red waxy top, and, of course, D’Andrea’s company listed as the U.S. importer.
Next time you’re at a local bar or restaurant, consider asking if maybe they could dust off their bottle of Super Punch — it’s probably around somewhere! — and give you a taste.