Here’s the short sell on Cynar: It’s an Italian amaro that’s been around forever. It’s loaded with flavor. It’s low-ABV. It’s versatile. It’s consistent. And it’s accessible across the USA. Cool? You’re a Cynar (pronounced chee-nar) fan now? Awesome. You can leave and go buy a bottle, if you’d like. Or you could stay for a minute while I wax poetic about why I always keep a stash at home.

Developed in Venice in the 1950s, the main flavor of note here is artichoke, which gives it a vegetal bitterness that’s balanced by notes of green sugar cane and raisins. It falls pretty solidly in the middle of the bitter-sweet amaro spectrum; not crazy bitter, not crazy sweet. Cynar is an amaro for all seasons, if you will, which makes it especially perfect right now, when I’m looking to use the contents of my bar in as many different ways as possible.