That's Amaro! Is Bitter Better?

Currently, bitter flavors are enjoying a bit of a moment on the American cocktail scene. And it may be more than just a moment — all across the country, bartenders at some of the most elite bars are creating drinks to cater to this oft-ignored side of the palate. Europeans were one step ahead of us on this — long before Fernet Branca took San Francisco by storm, Italians had been enjoying, in the leisurely hours after dinner, a bitter liqueur they call 'amaro'.

Amaros - the name is Italian for 'bitter' - are most often drunk after dinner, as a digestif. They're made by steeping botanicals (herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and/or citrus peels) in alcohol, and then adding sugar to the filtrate. The result is a bittersweet brown liqueur that is intensely herbal. It's a bit outside of most people's idea of cocktail hour (which usually involves very sweet drinks). This is why I'd encourage you to step a little outside your comfort zone and give amaro a try. Which is exactly what I did.

Averna Amaro
First up: Averna Amaro. Averna is the gateway drug of amaros. Its sweetness makes it approachable; it starts off sweet and bold on the palate before drawing you into its rich, herbal depths. Honestly, when taken straight, I found it to be a bit too sweet, almost syrupy.

Taste: A little bit like Coke, honestly. Like a nuanced, grown-up Coke.
How to drink it: With a splash of tonic and a slice of lemon or orange.

Ramazzoti Amaro
Here's a beautiful, mid-range amaro to reward your experimentation. On the nose, it's so much much like Coca-Cola that I was brought back to the hot summers of my childhood...but there's also the promise or something more, something savory, something a little difficult.

Taste: Like Coke, but mintier. I promise this is not bad.
How to drink it: With sparkling mineral water and a slice of citrus.

Fernet Branca
Together, the Fernets are their very own branch of the Amaro family. The most well-known here in the states is Fernet Branca, which has gained a real foothold with cocktail aficionados. I like it because it smells a little bit like a dark, unexplored new bar in a strange city, and tastes equally strange and mysterious. After sampling it several times, I feel that I still haven't plumbed its depths - Fernet always has something new.

Taste: Sharply, unabashedly bitter. Very minty.
How to drink it: With coke, as the Argentinians do.

Nancy Mitchell is expanding her horizons. You can find more of her recipes and writings on her blog, The Backyard Bartender.

(Images: Nancy Mitchell)

Comments (5)

I love love love bitter flavors, and I really don't like sweet cocktails. BUT. I do have to say, once something is a trend, it gets ridic fast. Yes, I love dark chocolate, but it got like a contest--who can serve something closest to baking chocolate. NO! Go ahead and serve entirely unsweetened ultra-black chocolate! Whee! (OK, I admit, I don't sweeten my cocoa, but it's full of MILK.) So bring on the amaros but I'm going to steer clear of the elite bartenders on this one. They'll be serving diesel in no time.

Fernet Branca aside, I don't find the higher-proof amari to be all that bitter. Lower-proof amari are another story, of course.

A few suggestions I'll throw in as a result of my own experiments:

Amaro Nonino has a strong orange character. I recommend it to fans of Campari.
Cardamaro is an herbal fortified wine. It is distinct from both distilled amari and vermouth.
Cynar makes an interesting substitute for Campari and is also nice to drink neat.
Good Italian/sweet vermouth is also a worthy digestif. Try Cocchi Vermouth or Carpano Antica.

If you want to confuse a Fernet Branca fan, get a bottle of Branca Menta.

I love Cynar, Ramazzoti, and Cardamaro. I like them on the rocks with a large slice of orange rind. I really can't stand Fernet Branca though, it tastes like you are drinking shots of tea tree oil. Disgusting.

Thank you for doing this post, I can't wait to try some of the other amari that have been mentioned here.

It's great to see amari being utilized in America, though the mixing of amari with other spirits is something not commonly seen in Italy. For example, Averna, Amaro Nonino, Vecchio Amaro del Capo, Inga Mio are all consumed straight (I think rightly so given their complexity) and either before or after a meal. High quality red vermouth like Carpano Antica is also a nice pre-dinner drink. We covered many of the Amari mentioned above in our introduction to Italian amari.

I've always been a fan of Amari and being from Ontario (Canada) we are sometimes limited to getting exotic brands. We have a large Italian community here and thankfully, our government controlled liquor agency caters to this demographic. I've recently discovered a page which has a TON of amari i have never even heard of before. It really makes me realize how blind we are in this province to the beautiful amari of the world. Take a look at Distilus for that large archive.