Don Ciccio & Figli C3 Carciofo. I somewhat recently ran out of Cynar (the first amaro I ever owned after Campari, way before I even knew what an amaro was). This reminded me to bust out my bottle of C3, an American-made artichoke-focused bitter liqueur similar to the famous Cynar…
Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro. This is a bittersweet liqueur that is smoky and earthy. Though Cappelletti is perhaps best known for their red-orange aperitivo, the family-run Italian company has quite the varied amaro portfolio! Amaro are bittersweet liqueurs frequently imbibed to help with digestion post-meals, and “Rabarbaro” is a particular sub-style…
Amaro Lucano. This is one of the most well-known and popular bittersweet liqueurs (“amaro”) in Italy. It’s been on my wishlist since I got back from my Italy trip over a year ago, where I spent a good chunk of time scouring all the backbars, grocery store shelves, and coffeeshops…
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia. This is an Italian amaro (traditional bittersweet liqueur) that is quite popular in modern craft cocktail culture, perhaps most notably in its use in the Paper Plane. The base spirit of this liqueur is a unique variant of grappa, a spirit made from pomace (the leftover remains…
Amaro San Simone. One of the side missions for my recent Italy trip was to seek out and try all the local amaro. Well, I left Italy with a single one (mostly bc I couldn’t fit more in my luggage), and it’s none other than Amaro San Simone from Turin.…
Amaro Montenegro. Sooo, I’m super excited to be heading to Bologna in a couple weeks – the food capital of Italy! And what else, Bologna is also the home and birthplace of the popular Amaro Montenegro. I’m quite intrigued by this bottle. Montenegro has become quite a staple and popular amaro…
Kuemmerling. It’s good to note that while traditionally Italian-made amaro has been the largest and most well known contributor to this category of bittersweet and herbal spirits, there are many other popular and delicious amaro from other countries across the world. Today we look at Kuemmerling, a German semi-bitter digestif. Kuemmerling…
Amaro Averna. Annnd Amaro Week continues! This week we’re celebratin’ the bittersweet herbal liqueur group known as “amaro,” and I think this bottle was the first one that introduced me to that word. I used to always assume that “Amaro” referred specifically to Averna since I’d always seen this referenced…
Amaro Meletti. Amaro is a classification of liqueurs (traditionally Italian-made) that are bittersweet, herbal, and complex, with flavors that are difficult to describe. They are traditionally drank after (or before) meals to aid with appetite and digestion. They’ve become an increasingly popular ingredient in craft cocktails in recent years, and you’ve…
Cynar (pronounced chee-nar) – artichoke liqueur, whaaat?! As strange as it sounds, Cynar is a modest 16.5% ABV amaro made with artichoke (aka “cynara scolymus”), along with 12 other herbs/plants. As with all Italian amaro, it’s an intense bittersweet liqueur oozing of herbal flavors that are difficult to describe, great…