Three healthy cocktails ~ A brief intro to Italian Amaro
It is important when thinking about spirits to think about their base. Generally speaking a distilled spirit starts life as either a wine or a beer. That is, it starts as a fermented fruit or grain.
An Italian Amaro, or bitter, starts life with a wine base. To be more accurate, a pomace brandy which is a spirit made from the grape solids (pulp, skins, seeds and stems) left after fermentation and pressing. These are diluted with water and fermented into a low alcohol wine and then distilled. The Italians call this distilled spirit grappa. The French call it marc.
From the grappa base, distillers add all manner of herbs, barks, flowers and fruit. These ingredients are often bitter such as the bark of the chinchona tree which is where we get quinine.
Most Amari (plural for Amaro) were developed in the late to early 1800 to 1900’s. Most were considered medicinal and all were made by trial and error. Their recipes are still closely guarded secrets.
Their curative effects are often expressed best when shared with friends and mixed with other spirits. Here are three Amaro cocktail recipes to help you feel your best in 2021.
Aperol Sprits:
Add some ice to a wine glass &
3 parts sparkling wine
2 parts Aperol
1 part splash of soda water
Garnish with a slice of orange.
Negroni:
In a tumbler with ice add:
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. gin
1 oz. red vermouth (I suggest Noilly Prat, heck I drink this on ice quite often in the summer heat, very curative, especially for mood.)
Garnish with 1/2 an orange wheel.
Paper Plane:
In a shaker with ice combine:
3/4 oz. bourbon
3/4 oz. Aperol
3/4 oz. Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz. lemon juice.
Strain into a coupe glass.
