Cocktails with Amaro
Amaro is a family of Italian herbal liqueurs, bittersweet and deep brown. It’s traditionally served after a meal as a digestivo. Less one drink than a whole spectrum — from gentle and floral to intensely bitter.
ABV16–40%
Substitutes for Amaro
Swap within a style, one for one. Replace a rich, caramel amaro such as Averna or Ramazzotti with another rich one, and a light one such as Montenegro with another light one. Jägermeister works in a pinch, one for one, though it is less sweet and has its own herbal profile. Fernet is far drier and more bitter, so start with half the measure and add a little syrup to taste.
Vermouth
Wine aromatized with wormwood, lighter and far less bitter: with it, the drink comes out softer.
Fernet
The most bitter end of the family, with menthol: Fernet-Branca carries about 25 g of sugar per liter, versus over 200 for Averna.
Red bitter liqueur (Campari and kin)
Bright red, bitter and sweet at once, with little of an amaro's caramel depth: one for one, the drink comes out sharper.
Description
The category has settled into styles: light and floral (Montenegro), caramel and middling-bitter (Averna), artichoke-led (Cynar) or rhubarb-led (Zucca), alpine and piney (Braulio), and the mentholic fernets.
