Petrus Boonekamp, a skilled distiller and alcoholic merchant, experimented with numerous tests of infusions with medicinal herbs known for their beneficial virtues before making the recipe for Petrus, the world's first amaro, in 1777.

Amaro Petrus was born in the small town of Leidschendam, in the Netherlands; at that time the latter was the largest importing company of spices and in fact the herbs and spices selected by Boonekamp to compose the recipe for his amaro, the first in history without sugar, come from far East Asia.

It will be from the Leidschendam canal that Petrus will reach southern Europe, thus fueling the spread and trade of this amazing bitter that will soon become known throughout Europe for its strong and decisive flavor and its extraordinary digestive properties.