Why Amaro Is the Any-Occasion Drink
Amari (literally “bitter” in Italian) are liqueurs (sweetened liquors) that have been bittered and flavored with botanicals. As for the base spirit, well, anything is game: neutral corn spirit, cane distillate, Everclear (popular among home-brewers), even wine. Same goes for the botanical blends—most amari have upwards of 30 botanical ingredients, most often kept secret.
Regarding my quest to pin down the delightfully, decidedly slippery definition and recipe of amaro, I soon realized I was not alone, nor the first. Writer Olivia Bloom turned to Brad Thomas Parsons's tome back in 2016: "he mentions 25 potential ingredients (rhubarb, cardamom, orange, Chinese herbs, bark, peels, seeds, herbs, flowers, cinchona bark, gentian root, wormwood, angelica root, chamomile, mint, fennel, artichoke, licorice, eucalyptus, juniper, ginger, cardoon, clove, anise, saffron, sage) and uses at least 10 different adjectives (smooth, woodsy, smoky, bittersweet, medicinal, syrupy sweet, bright citrus, floral, vegetal) to describe the liqueur." Helpful, but not totally.
