What Is Amaro?

Amari are alcoholic infusions of herbs, roots, barks, and peels originally used as medicaments. The early, strictly medicinal infusions were usually unsweetened and, clearly, not very palatable. 

It was thought that many of these preparations (especially the ones containing herbs like cumin, fennel, anise, chamomile, lemon balm, angelica) could accelerate digestion. So we started the delightful tradition of serving amari at the end of a meal.

Modern Italian amari can still be very bitter (as the Fernet Branca) or characterized by a mild balance of bitterness and sweetness (as the Amaro del Capo, Amaro Lucano, Amaro Montenegro).

Say it right. One amaro, two amari. Singular amaro, plural amari.

How to Serve Amaro

Glass. The ideal glass is a small liquor tumbler.
Temperature. The temperature depends on the suggestion of each producer.
How to drink it. Serve it straight, when at the end of a meal. Extra bitter amari can be served on the rocks, with a splash of soda and lemon peel.

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