Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas

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Featuring more than 100 recipes, Amaro is the first book to demystify the ever-expanding, bittersweet world, and is a must-have for any home cocktail enthusiast or industry professional.

The European tradition of making bittersweet liqueurs–called amari in Italian–has been around for centuries. But it is only recently that these herbaceous digestifs have moved from the dusty back bar to center stage in the United States, and become a key ingredient on cocktail lists in the country’s best bars and restaurants. Lucky for us, today there is a dizzying range of amaro available—from familiar favorites like Averna and Fernet-Branca, to the growing category of regional, American-made amaro.

Starting with a rip-roaring tour of bars, cafés, and distilleries in Italy, amaro’s spiritual home, Brad Thomas Parsons—author of the James Beard and IACP Award–winner Bitters—will open your eyes to the rich history and vibrant culture of amaro today. With more than 100 recipes for amaro-centric cocktails, DIY amaro, and even amaro-spiked desserts, you’ll be living (and drinking) la dolce vita.

From the Publisher

The Bitter Swagger

For the past few years I’ve been making an annual trip down to Memphis and, without fail, I bookend my visit with stops at Hog and Hominy to see my friends, chefs Andy Ticer and Mike Hudman. They serve up some of my favorite Southern-inspired takes on Italian fare, including an insane mortadella hot dog and the Lil Red Ed, a pizza topped with speck, spicy peppers, fontina cheese, tomato sauce, and olives named after our mutual friend Ed Anderson, who also photographed the guys’ cookbook, Collards and Carbonara.

Nick Talarico oversees the front of the house and the beverage program for their ever-expanding restaurants and also makes a mean old-fashioned, which he doctors with house-made Shiftless Hog orange bitters. I always love geeking out over cocktails and trying new local spirits and beers with Talarico and he kindly shared the story of the Bitter Swagger with me, a cocktail on the menu at Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, just across the street from Hog and Hominy. “We had a comedian come in after his show downtown late one Saturday night, and he and I talked for a bit about Nardini amaro. He ended up leaving with a bottle from our stock to take with him on his tour and after he left.” That encounter inspired Nick to add a drink on the menu that focused on amaro as a base spirit, and a pisco sour template did the trick. “It’s a total cocktail nerd drink—amaro, pisco, and egg whites don’t necessarily sell themselves—but that’s the fun of having a few cocktail lists where you can hide your nerdiest drinks,” Talarico says.

Makes 1 drink.

1¼ ounces Amaro Nardini.

¾ ounce pisco.

¼ ounce Cocchi Americano.

½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice.

1 egg white.

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice) for at least 10 seconds to fully incorporate the egg white. Add ice and continue shaking until chilled and then double-strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten Speed Press; 1st edition (October 11, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1607747480
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1607747482
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.83 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.74 x 1.09 x 9.35 inches