Unless you are actually an Italian nonno the word amaro may not have been on
your radar until fairly recently. Now however, you can't swing a cat in a bar
without knocking over a dozen bottles of them. So what are they and how have they
come to dominate the cocktail world? Hello and welcome to Behind the Bar
with me Cara Devine, and an episode that I've been wanting to do for ages.
I may not love amari quite as much as I love sherry but it's pretty darn close.
If you're not that concerned about the ins and outs of history and definitions then don't
worry, I will taste through a few of these very soon to help figure out which might be the
one for you. And I'll also be showing you a few of my favorite amaro cocktails in our next
episode, so if you haven't already then hit the subscribe button and the notification
bell to make sure you don't miss out. Amari with an "i" is technically the
correct pluralization of amaro for any grammar nerds or Italians out there, and
they're actually very difficult to define. Amaro means bitter in Italian and covers the
incredibly wide category of bitter herbal liqueurs which are made by steeping botanicals
in spirits or wine and then adding sugar. Where as vermouth is defined by wormwood as
the bittering agent, amari can be bittered by any number of things, so wormwood as well but
also gentians and cinchona and even rhubarb. There are some made elsewhere in the world,
for instance France and Switzerland but Italy is the true home and most modern versions
like ones made here in Australia are based on Italian regional variations.
Campari and Aperol are among the most famous, but the range of flavors covered in this
category is pretty astounding there's even some like Cynar which are based on artichokes.
Amari were originally made by monks and thought to be medicinal. Unlike vermouth which are
always wine based, amari are more often based on a distilled spirit such as brandy. That
said, amari can be wine based and there's definitely a bit of a blurred line between the
two. So something like Punt e Mes is a vermouth but with enough kind of bitterness that it's
often used and drunk as you would in an amaro. Amari were also a way of preserving roots and
herbs and barks back in the day and this is where you start to see those regional variations
coming in. So for example alpine amari like Braulio will have juniper and pine notes whereas
Sicilian amari like Averna usually have a really strong citrus element just because that's what
was growing in the areas where they're made. Amari as a category is so versatile that it has
you covered from pre-dinner aperitif to night cap. Generally speaking you're sort of lighter
colored amari like Aperol or Suze, which is actually french but definitely
falls in the same flavor category, they work really well in spritz style drinks to
kind of get the appetite going and then darker amari like the fernet family of which Fernet
Branca is definitely the most well-known, will settle the stomach and ease you off to bed.
I know I do keep saying the word bitter but amari have sugar added to them as well
and so there's actually this really moreish bittersweet base with all of the
various botanicals laying flavor on top. Some of these will have upwards of 30 ingredients
so they're honestly a cocktail in themselves and work really well just on ice or topped up
with soda. The fact that they're usually quite low in abv, although actually not all are- lots of
bartenders do shots of Fernet Branca and I always assumed this was because it was lower in alcohol
so they were pacing themselves but it's actually like 40 percent, so it must just be the cool
kid factor- but anyway the lower abv does make them a great base for lower alcohol cocktails,
so you know the Aperol spritz has certainly done its bit in popularizing the category
with many people getting used to the flavor there and then moving on to kind of stronger
tasting Campari in Americanos or negronis. Because there is such a range of flavours, but
still with that balancing bitterness, an easy way to switch up cocktails is just to change the
amaro used or even substitute one in for vermouth. So the black manhattan is a great variation
which switches in Averna instead of vermouth, giving, as the name would suggest, a darker
and more brooding version of the classic. Or one of my favorites is a white negroni which
uses Lillet Blanc and Suze alongside gin for a lighter and more kind of fragrant and perfumed
take on everyone's favorite amaro cocktail. I am going to preface this with saying that
this is obviously very much down to personal preference, so you know if Aperol spritzes
are your all-time favorite then of course you need a bottle of Aperol, or if your
palette leans to the bitter and dark side then spend your time exploring all of
the fernets you can get your hands on. For me though, these are three really versatile
products which will allow you to make a wide range of amaro spiked drinks. So my number one for your
more light and bright style of amaro would be Suze. This one's actually from France, so you know
but definitely falls in that kind of amaro flavor category. Gentian is the bittering agent here,
so kind of a root which is found in the alps. So the first thing that you'll notice about
this one is how bright it is. It's actually like a really quite sunshine yellow and I do like
that you know a lot of other amaros are darker in color and it kind of means that when you're
using them in drinks it can go a little bit murky and just you know yeah something
that would otherwise be kind of quite bright colored or you know even
clear or whatever it goes a bit brown, so this one is quite nice for keeping a
bit more of a summery look on your drink. It just smells like sunshine and
flowers. It's really light and bright and lifted and perfumed. Obviously
got quite a lot of citrus notes in there as well and then just that little
kind of underlying bitterness. Definitely has a fair amount of sweetness up
front you almost think that it's going to land a bit more like an Aperol and then just right
at the end it sort of whacks you with a with a properly quite kind of grippy and bitter finish,
so I really like using it alongside again sort of I guess flavors which might be more easily
overpowered. So something like elderflower or you know your kind of more delicate gins and
things which would just get a bit lost trying to stand up to a lot of these other ones this
will still just kind of do that thing of coming in having that nice little bitter end, which
makes drinks interesting rather than you know for something that might be quite basic otherwise,
almost the way that you know just little dashes of Angostura or something do where it just underpins
and keeps the flavor going for longer, while also having lots of really kind of fresh herb
quite like really bright citrus notes as well. Delicious. Montenegro is often called a gateway amaro
and it certainly deserves its popularity, so you know when doing research for this pretty
much 90 percent of the articles and things that I came across said if you can only have one amaro
then it should be Amaro Montenegro. A lot of people really like it because it kind of sits in a
bit of a medium sweet bitter, sort of category so you know still definitely has some darker notes
to it, but not too confronting and and has a bit of sweetness. Honestly I actually prefer Nonino
though. So this little guy is a grappa base so it has this really lovely texture to it and it's
just a bit more delicate. In Montenegro you get a lot of kind of cola notes, which are, which
can be really fun to play with, this one has a really kind of quite bright and fresh tangerine
flavor to it while still having a good amount of kind of woody spices going on as well, so it can
work with lighter spirits and darker spirits. It does have a little bit of that cough medicine
thing going on but in a really good way. Such a lovely texture. I mean this is probably
my favorite to just drink on its own as well as a kind of after dinner thing. I just think
that the sweetness and bitterness is really, is really in balance and even though it does
have a bit of sweetness it's not too viscous, it doesn't coat your mouth at all
and then you just get that, yeah, again lovely lingering bitterness coming through.
As I said, it really doesn't not go with anything, even things like tequila which I do find a little
bit harder sometimes to sort of balance out with with these guys, it can definitely sit alongside
with that really kind of bright juicy orange note. Plus it is a very pretty bottle
which I think still always counts. Then our next one would be Cynar.
Again, I do love the design on this and you've actually got the little artichoke
heart on the label it's so 70s looking. So you're getting a lot more caramel notes in
this like this sweetness is there but almost, you know like a almost kind of burnt way
like that sort of again bittersweet thing. And then, yeah, it's all kind of
quite vegetal like leaf almost kind of damp leafy sort of flavor which I know doesn't
sound necessarily super appetizing, but it's the same sort of thing as you get in whiskies
and things when they've been aged in older casks and it's just, it's interesting, it's just
a really interesting flavor. It's not honestly one that I would tend to just sit and drink by
itself, although it does go nicely actually with some tonic and a little slice of orange in there
if you do like things which are quite bitter, but definitely in other drinks which are you
know just needs a little something a little je ne sais quoi, quite often it's that kind of
savoury note that your mouth doesn't even know that it wants to taste but it really does it
makes you want to go back for another sip. Just a really really interesting flavor
and again because it's not really as boozy, I mean it's definitely got a strong flavor but
still doesn't maybe quite sit as much of a punch in the face as something like fernet. You can use
it alongside most things, I mean it's not gonna, you know, again like a very very delicate gin or
something it's probably gonna overpower slightly but it doesn't have to be sort of your rums
and bourbons and more kind of heavy and dark spirits it can definitely be used just for a
little edge in a lot of really fun cocktails. Now I have stayed quite classic here but there
are some really awesome amari style products being made in Australia and I'm sure elsewhere,
so please let me know if you have any local favorites in the comments and I'll definitely
have to do an all Aussie lineup at some point. Amari and how to use them. So now you know, and make sure you tune in
next week to see some amazing amari cocktails. According to Paul Beganski and
a couple of thousands thumbs up, I could sell water to a drowning man, let's
hope so because Behind the Bar now has Merch and we're really excited
to be able to share it with you. Check out the link in the description below if
you're interested and let's hope Paul is right!
