Amaro (plural: amari) is a category of Italian bittersweet herbal liqueurs made by macerating a blend of herbs, roots, citrus, and spices in neutral spirit, then sweetening the result. The range within the category is enormous — from the light and floral (Aperol) to the bracing and medicinal (Fernet-Branca). Amari are traditionally served as digestifs, but they've become essential cocktail ingredients, adding bitterness, herbal complexity, and depth that few other ingredients can replicate. The Negroni, the Paper Plane, and the Black Manhattan all depend on amaro.
Why It Matters
Amaro adds a kind of complexity that's hard to get otherwise — layered, bitter, slightly sweet, and botanical all at once. In AF cocktail making, finding substitutes or non-alcoholic amaro-style products is worth the effort because the gap they leave when absent is significant.
Where You'll Use It
Negroni and Negroni variations, Paper Plane, Black Manhattan, Jungle Bird, and any drink calling for Campari, Aperol, or Fernet.
Worth Knowing
Aperitif
An aperitif is a drink served before a meal to stimulate appetite — typically bitter, low-alcohol, and not too sweet. Vermouth, Campari, Aperol, and dry sherry are classic aperitifs. The word comes from the Latin aperire (to open) — the idea being that it opens the appetite.
Digestif
A digestif is a drink served after a meal to aid digestion — typically bitter, spirit-forward, and often higher in alcohol than an aperitif. Amaro, port, brandy, and Chartreuse are digestifs. The herbal, bitter character of most amaro is what traditionally made them associated with settling the stomach after a large meal.
Aperitivo
Aperitivo is both a category of drinks (similar to aperitif) and an Italian social tradition — the hour before dinner when you drink something light and bitter with snacks. The aperitivo style of cocktail is typically low-ABV, slightly bitter, and approachable: spritzes, Negroni Sbagliatos, Aperol Spritzes.