Amaro, amaro, amaro

In Boston, I have found many people's very first introduction to amaro is a fernet branca.  I know mine was.  The first sip really throws you off.  It's bitter and herbaceous yet has some other flavors to it that you can't really seem to identify and you may not be sure if you like….until the second sip.

My first fernet experience was in the North End, when I was journeying to my car parked on Salem Street to grab a college textbook on a Sunday.  Lo and behold, a crew of 5 friends coming back from brunch whisked me into Eclano (now Vito's Tavern) and say they can cure my hangover with this magical elixir.  It was fernet on the rocks *clarification in a highball full of this stuff which I couldn't decipher.  It was so bitter and kind of possessed an anisette flavor but still bitter yet fruity yet so different from anything I had drank before.

The term Amaro signifies a couple of immediate thoughts:
     1.  It's an Italian digestif
     2.  made from macerating dozens herbs, roots, flowers, bark, fruit peels with many other ingredients and finished by aging in wooden casks
     3.  They are complex as a fine wine, with multiple bouquets, body styles and long finishes

I feel most people might have had this experience for the first time with Averna Amaro.  This is a sweeter version of the digestif that is probably the most commonly asked for.  I am not Italian, so I was never really properly introduced to this as to have the thought to naturally ask for an amaro after dinner.

After tasting through multiple types and blending them into cocktails for more featured aromatics, I understand it's value now.  Not only as a sure fire way to fight the itis you may experience after ingesting a large meal, but as an enjoyable concoction to fully satiate your senses.

Now let me tell you about some of the ones I have had the pleasure to indulge in:

Averna Amaro:
This is the Amaro I intend to compare all of the others to.  It is most available in Italian restaurants and I believe it to be the most easy drinking of the bunch….that is until you develop a taste for it.  This Sicialian spirit uses caramel to sweeten its mash of citrus peels, roots and herbs.

Montenegro Amaro:
This one is from and Bologna is lighter in body and color than Averna.  This coveted recipe entails saffron and 40 other secret botanicals that have made it the most popular (and advertised) in Italy.

Amaro Sibilla:
This ventures into the earthy notes an amaro can possess.  They macerate herbs and roots from Sibilla with honey and grain alcohol over a wood fire to develop their flavors.

Meletti Amaro:
This again has a lighter body and flavor style.  I really got many cherry notes right off the bat.  Definitely a higher sugar content, than it's predecessors with slightly more depth than the light body might make you presume.

Cynar: or Carciofo:
Is an artichoke based spirit typically a bit heavier than some of the others listed.  It has a dark bittersweet flavor, can be mixed well into a negroni instead of Compari for a richer more intense flavor.

Amaro Nonino:
This is a lighter almost spicy version of an amaro.  It is less syrupy than others can be, with a little bit of an orange aftertaste.

Luxardo Amaro:
Has a medium body with apricot and citrusy flavors and a pretty even balance of sweetness and bitterness.

All of the above are really worth checking out, if only mixed into a Manhattan or other specialty cocktail.  Some can be overwhelming on their own.  I remember tasting one with a distributor that was so thick and earthy I only wish I could have seen my face after tasting it.  I will have to look it up and tell you which one that was so you may dare to try it.  None of them are over the top strong or have a really strong liquor taste.  They are more complex combinations of secret family recipes that are all around for your tasting and comparing enjoyment.