Amaro: Italy’s versatile aperitif

An amaro proved such a “perfect spur to the palate” during a recent meal in Italy that I have been serving it regularly before dinner at home, said John Mariani in Bloomberg.com. Today, amaros are sipped before or after a meal and mixed into cocktails. But the origins of these high-alcohol spirits “lie in the medicine cabinets of medieval monasteries, concocted by monks as aids to digestion and good health.” Most of us know vermouth and Campari, but there are scores of other amaros. Their complex combination of sweet and bitter flavors often derives from citrus rind and from such herbs and spices as gentian, angelica, lemon verbena, ginger, mint, thyme, licorice, cinnamon, and menthol.

S. Maria al Monte Amaro Naturale ($27). Best after dinner, this bitter Ligurian amaro has a “deep mahogany color,” medium body, and an “aroma that is instantly evocative of incense used at Sunday mass.”

Amaro Nonino ($37). This amaro “would be every bit as welcome after dinner as a vintage port.” It has “an impeccable balance of bitterness, sweetness, fruit, and spice.”

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Ditta Bortolo Nardini ($45). This “premium-priced” amaro “pours like maple syrup” and “delivers a beautifully nuanced bouquet” of well-blended herbs and spices.