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
The bright red color can mean only one thing — presuming it’s not maraschino, of course — you’re looking at a bitter Campari clone, one of the kings of the amaro world. Select was born in Venice (Campari hails from Milan), where it was originally created in 1920, using 30 botanicals (including rhubarb and juniper)…
Italian distillery Antica Erboristeria Cappelletti is best known for its eponymous aperitivo — but it makes a variety of bitter liqueurs, including this one. Amaro Alta Verde is a truly unusual amaro, pale green in color and flavored primarily with Assenzio, a variety of wormwood. “A complementary blend of alpine herbs, citrus and spice frame and…
Ramazzotti is best known for its delightful amaro, and recently the brand extended into a “rosato aperitivo,” which is made with “natural aromas of hibiscus and orange blossom.” Designed to be consumed Spritz style — with a 1:2 ratio of Rosato to Prosecco — plus basil leaves and ice, the Piedmont-distilled product isn’t exactly a…
Lazzaroni is best known as the creator of an impressive amaretto — in fact, the inventor of amaretto — but it turns out the Saronno-based operation also makes an amazing amaro, too, distinguished by its dark, nearly black bottle. There’s not a lot of info about its ingredients — made from a recipe that dates to…
Minneapolis-based Tattersall produces a monstrous line of craft spirits — all of which is produced in house from grains and other produce (apples, berries, etc.) from Minnesota and nearby states. The operation recently sent us three of its offerings for review, including a rye whiskey and two bitter liqueurs. Let’s dig in. Tattersall Straight Rye…
Boston’s Bully Boy Distillers makes a somewhat traditional amaro, but this Rabarbaro expression is built around a more uncommon recipe. The “Rabarb” is for rhubarb, which is paired with black cardamom, marjoram, chamomile, cloves, yarrow, amd bitter orange to make a decidedly unusual experience. (The company suggests using it as an alternative to sweet vermouth…
It’s been 9 years since we last took a look at Tempus Fugit Gran Classico. At the time we put it up (perhaps naively) in an impromptu amaro battle against Campari, a spirit with which it doesn’t share much DNA. A better analogy would be Cynar, as the two spirits have a lot closer resemblance…
At this point it feels safe to say that the 2020 holiday season will be unlike any other in our lifetimes. And while in-person gatherings may not be possible, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to stop exchanging gifts. In fact, in the world of booze, it’s easier than ever to ship a bottle of…
It took a few decades, but amaro has finally become a thing stateside, with tons of options now available in the U.S., primarily from Italy and France. Not surprisingly, various amari have become a fixture of the craft cocktail boom, serving as unique modifiers that have added whole new dimensions to a never-ending list of…
Malört is spiced liquor flavored with wormwood, and is Swedish in origin. Sometime during the 1930’s, innovator/sadist Carl Jeppson thrusted his variation of Malört, a word that translates literally as “moth herb,” upon an unsuspecting Chicago public for reasons beyond comprehension. This innovation was quite helpful to residents of this working-class Midwest metropolis. Were it…