Amaro 101 August 01 2023
If the word "Amaro" isn't part of your drinking vocabulary, you're excused. Sometimes this Italian liqueur is called "the bartender's secret handshake," known to be delicious, and obscure.* You're in the club. Wink, wink. But it just might be your new favorite summer sipper.
Amaro is a bittersweet Italian liqueur, commonly consumed after a meal as a digestif. Generally, the base is a neutral spirit, often distilled from grapes, and infused with a diverse range of herbs, spices, fruits and even vegetables. Nearly every town in Italy produces one, which makes for a wide world to explore!
- Drink it neat. Amaro tastes great on its own, and is the perfect finish to a hearty meal. Its bitterness is said to stimulate digestion.
- Drink it on ice. On a warm afternoon, there are few things better than amaro poured over a big ice cube and consumed in a lounge chair.
- Use it in a cocktail. If you've ever had a Negroni (my wife's fave) or a Paper Plane, you've had amaro (Campari and Nonino, respectively).
33 Glasses of Amaro is my newest journal, and I think you're going to like it. Embrace your inner Italian and go find some Amaro. You'll say "mille grazie" later.
* Of course, don't tell that to the nation of Italy, where it is an essential part of eating and drinking culture, and has been for hundreds of years!
