The first time we tasted Amaro was in Florence, Italy more than 20 years ago. Andrea pointed to a strange looking bottle on a high shelf in a small restaurant and asked, “What is that?”
The waiter rolled his eyes, “That is for old Italian men.”
Andrea didn’t miss a beat. “Perfect. We’ll have two served however the old men drink it.”
Our drinks arrived straight up in dessert wine glasses. They were the color of long-neglected motor oil. They tasted like a mishmash of vanilla, caramel, juniper berries, peppermint and Vicks VapoRub. If we believed in past lives we might claim that we were once old Italian men because we fell instantly in love.
The waiter rolled his eyes, “That is for old Italian men.”
Andrea didn’t miss a beat. “Perfect. We’ll have two served however the old men drink it.”
Our drinks arrived straight up in dessert wine glasses. They were the color of long-neglected motor oil. They tasted like a mishmash of vanilla, caramel, juniper berries, peppermint and Vicks VapoRub. If we believed in past lives we might claim that we were once old Italian men because we fell instantly in love.
Fact: Amaro is woven into the history of Italy as deeply as pasta and Roman Catholic guilt.
We later learned that Amaro is a broad category of herbal liquors made by macerating herbs in a neutral spirit. Flavors and styles vary wildly. Some are barrel aged; some are heavily sweetened. Before we order Amaro, we always ask if it is in the sweet or bitter style. If the answer is “sweet,” we choose something else.
We are lucky to live in the Bay Area where Amaro is widely available. It might be more difficult to find in other places. It is often available in large liquor stores and it can be easily ordered over the Internet (in states that allow interstate alcohol purchases). Also, we designed our recipe using the Averna brand. Averna is one of the largest Amaro producers. This should make it a little easier to track down.
We are lucky to live in the Bay Area where Amaro is widely available. It might be more difficult to find in other places. It is often available in large liquor stores and it can be easily ordered over the Internet (in states that allow interstate alcohol purchases). Also, we designed our recipe using the Averna brand. Averna is one of the largest Amaro producers. This should make it a little easier to track down.
The Amaro Cocktail
Ingredients:
Method:
- 1oz. (one shot) Averna Amaro (If you can’t find Averna, any non-sweet Amaro will work. Unfortunately the only way to know if an Amaro is sweet without opening the bottle is to ask. Amaros are not marked in any way to indicate which ones are deliciously bitter and which taste like mentholated Junior Mints.)
- 3 oz. sparkling water
- 1 squeeze lime (¼ lime wedge.)
- Ice
Method:
- Place the ice in a 6 oz. low-ball cocktail glass.
- Pour the Amaro over the ice.
- Add the soda and squeeze the lime.
- Drop the lime into the glass as a garnish.
Calories: An ounce of Averna contains 73 calories. A squeeze of lime is about three calories. This amounts to 19 fewer calories than in a bottle Michelob ULTRA, the second worst tasting beer-like drink in the history of brewing. If you want to taste the absolute worst, you have to track down a bottle of Zima. This is not an impossible task. Zima is no longer available in the United States, but the Coors Brewing Company still sells it in Japan where, we presume, it is used to strip auto parts.
