That's Amaro

The old-school Italian herbal liqueur is making splashes in NYC

Is bitter the new black? Or at least the new transparent reddish-brown? We're talking about an old-school herbal liqueur known all over Italy as amaro (more than one, they're amari), and it's been popping up more and more around the city. No two are alike, so a sip of one coffee-colored elixir may taste of rhubarb, cinnamon and Sicilian orange peels, while another invokes the sweetness of cola with a peppermint-and-licorice aftertaste. All flavored differently, but each with the same syrupy base—bitter and sweet, never cloying—and with an alcohol content that goes as high as 35 percent.

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