Amari
Amari is the plural of amaro (Italian for bitter), which is a category of bittersweet liqueurs primarily served as a digestif. Amari come in a wide variety of styles — but most are built around a certain herb, flower, bark, or nut. A typical amaro will be a blend of multiple botanicals, and most rely on very old, secret, family recipes. While many amari are opaque to the point of being nearly black in color, a whole spectrum of colors represents the amari universe — including clear amari. Amari can be consumed neat, on the rocks, or — increasingly — as part of a cocktail.
Top Amari/Amaro Posts:
Jagermeister Manifest
Cynar 70 Liqueur
Campari and Tempus Fugit Gran Classico
Non-alcoholic amari are on the rise, and Lapo’s — a brand inspired by Italy but based in Atlanta — is the latest to enter the fray. Lapo’s focuses on non-alcoholic options built around designing a boozeless version of the classic Campari and its iconic Negroni cocktail. The brand offers both a straight version of its…
Say, do you like licorice? Finland-born Valhalla is the Scandi Jagermeister you never knew you needed. The coffee-black liqueur is made with Nordic ingredients including angelica, wormwood, yarrow, and licorice — lots of licorice. Four species of licorice plants, to be exact. Valhalla Herbal Liqueur Shot Review Designed to be consumed cold, as a shot,…
The story of Lo-Fi Aperitifs begins in California, where regionally appropriate botanicals are sourced to create various vermouths and an amaro. All of them use wine for the base — even the amaro — which keeps things light and lively, with abv kept in check. While we previous looked at Lo-Fi’s Sweet Vermouth in our…
New York’s Pollinator Spirits is the company behind Crimson Amaro, a Campari-like offering that is made entirely with ingredients grown in the state. The product starts with Pollinator’s own vodka — made from local corn and wildflower honey (hence “Pollinator”), and infused with a “secret blend of more than 15 botanicals, among them juniper, wormwood,…
Amaro Lucano is one of the many delightful amari of Italy, and it continues to make inroads in the U.S. market, where it only recently returned for sale. Now, consumers who want the bracing flavor of Lucano without the booze have a new option: Amaro Lucano Non-Alcoholic. How’s it made? I’m not sure. The details…
Virginia’s Copper Fox Distillery has been mixing up impressive craft cocktails at both their Sperryville and Williamsburg locations since the state loosened restrictions on on-site beverage sales (which still aren’t loose enough, if you ask most Virginia distillers). It’s no surprise then that the distillery has added a cocktail-friendly amaro to its lineup. Amaro y…
Curious Elixirs is a new company pushing booze-free, bottled (and canned) cocktails, largely inspired by classic options and particularly heavy on fresh juices. The company has a rotating collection of recipes denoted exclusively by number. The company’s up to 8 now, with more surely on the way — though note that recipes do sell out.…
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some festivities in the form of holiday revelry. Naturally, the holidays mean gift-giving time is nigh, and you’re going to want recommendations for what to wrap up and stash under the tree. As always, this year we want your gift-giving to make a statement, but we…
Amaro Santoni is new to me, but the recipe dates back to 1961, including 34 ingredients centered around rhubarb and iris — in part a cultural reference to Florence, in part because that’s the taste profile they were going for here. A light, crimson-orange-hued “dolce-amaro aperitivo” lands somewhere in the DMZ between bitter and sweet…
Liqueurs made for specific cocktails are nothing new. But what about a liqueur distilled to match a particular rye whiskey? Sagamore Spirit recently released their own amaro, and it’s designed to be used in a Black Manhattan alongside their Maryland-style rye. That’s about as specific as they come! In the brand’s own words: Sagamore Spirit…