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
Four years ago I covered a line extension from Hungary’s Zwack, which confusingly was launching for the first time a spirit called Zwack. Previously, Zwack’s sole product was the bitter Unicum, and “Zwack” was nowhere to be found on the label. At some point Unicum left the U.S. market, leaving Zwack the company’s sole product…
Don’t like bitter amari? Well, you’ll hate Cynar, which isn’t just bitter, it features a picture of an artichoke on its label. You like drinking artichokes, don’t you? We last reviewed Cynar in January 2011. This is a fresh look at the classic spirit. Meant to be consumed either with soda or straight but “always on ice,” Cynar…
Turns out they actually make amari in Mexico. These two bitter liqueurs have their origins in 1860s, when Henri Valley left France for Mexico, staying behind to make booze even after the era of French colonialism faded away. The spirits are still made, in Hidalgo, according to the original, 150-year-old recipe. Thoughts follow. Fernet-Vallet Aperitivo-Liqueur…
Sage is the fourth product from Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, which focuses on creating wholly unique and, sometimes, questionably mixable liqueurs. These liqueurs are often drawn from historical texts and/or are inspired by curious ingredients (like gingersnap cookies). With this product, sage herbs are the focus. Unlike AitA’s three other spirits, sage…
Grappa impresario Bepi Tosolini is expanding into the U.S. with its amaro, and an amaretto which we’ll be reviewing soon. The amaro, Amaro Tosolini, boasts a recipe that dates back to 1918, is made with 15 different herbs and spices, is aged in ash barrels for four months, and is finally brought down to proof…
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’s latest niche liqueur turns to the humblest of roots: The rhubarb. Formerly known as “Rhuby,” AitA went with a more descriptive name for this product for reasons that must sound obvious but are in fact due to legal problems with the original name. (Current bottles actually have the…
Born in Calabria — the “toe of the foot” of Italy — Vecchio Amaro Del Capo (or just Del Capo) is a classic amaro made from 29 local herbs and roots. Lightly brown like a brewed tea, it looks a bit like whiskey in the glass but smells far different as it is poured. Vecchio…
Dating from 1858, this unique herbal liqueur was developed by the Busch family in Dusseldorf, Germany. Formally launched as a commercial brand in the 1950s, the name was derived during World War II, by “Willi Busch, who, while in an air-raid shelter during the Second World War, promised to toast new beginnings with his friend…
The “Jager” in the name of this product might tip you off that this is an herbal liqueur, but don’t let the name fool you: Stroh Jagertee (“hunter’s tea”), hailing from Austria, is a curious blend of Austrian “spiced rum” — see the various comments below for more detail on what that entails — and…
Wow, Germany, thanks for the firewater! No, seriously: At 110 proof, Vegefeuer Likor Spezialitat can be ignited. The creators take pride in this — in fact, it is supposed to be ignited for a minute or so before consumption — which perhaps makes this clear, overproof, herbal liqueur is “a drink for friends” that it…