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Amaro Lucano was born in 1894 in Pisticci, a small town in Basilicata, when pastry chef Pasquale Vena began experimenting by blending more than thirty herbs in the back of his cookie factory to create a wonderfully balanced herbal liqueur. Its recipe, full of citrus, floral, and bitter notes, was initially appreciated locally, but the turning point...

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It was mysteriously dark and inviting. I watched as the last tremors of ripples eased to a glassy calm on the surface of the cobalt-colored liquid. I’d requested a local digestivo from the attentive waiter, something unique to the beautiful island of Sardinia. He smiled – Torno subito! A delicate glass filled with mirto was ceremoniously placed bef...

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There are few places in this world I like to imbibe more than Italy. Not only can you get the best wine for way, way less money than here in the United States, but their backbars are overflowing with aperitivi and amari, those bittersweet liqueurs that are meant to open the appetite before a meal and help you digest after eating, respectively. Not...

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Limoncello, amaretto di Saronno, and Sambuca are famous Italian liqueurs known as digestivos (or digestifs). They are enjoyed after a sumptuous meal while chatting with dinner companions. One extremely popular digestivo that you may not have tried yet is amaro ("bitter" in Italian). There are hundreds of different amari that are distilled from the...

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Produced by an herbalist named, Bernardino Branca – Fernet-Branca is one of Italy’s most storied and celebrated spirits. This unique digestif was invented in Milan in 1845, and was originally intended as a medicinal tonic.  Fernet-Branca is the best-known brand of the fernet category of amari, or bitter herbal liqueurs. It’s made with 27 herbs, roo...

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“Milano è positiva, ottimista, efficiente” (“Milan is positive, optimistic, efficient”), a man’s voice murmurs huskily, over a saturated video collage of Milan’s yuppiest set. This, the voice croons, is a city that “rinasce ogni mattina, pulsa come un cuore” (“is reborn every morning, that beats like a heart”). Forget the slow living of the Italian...

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Un Fernet? Our grandparents may have offered it at the end of fancier dinners… But what’s the name we associate the most with this bitter, yet oddly satisfying spirit? Definitely Branca!  Fratelli Branca Distillerie, commonly known as Branca, is one of Italy’s most famous and historic distilleries, with a reputation that extends beyond its national...

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My love for amaro started innocently enough, almost two decades ago, when I sipped my first Negroni. At that time, Campari and Fernet-Branca were the only bittersweet suspects you’d likely encounter behind a bar in the States, and it would be years until the handful of other Italian imports like Zucca, Cynar, and Ramazzotti would be joined by the l...

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What do writer Charles Bukowski, Italy, bitter, arugula, and Brooklyn have in common? Apparently nothing, yet there is an Italian-speaking common thread. In Brooklyn, there is constant talk of Italian bitters, thanks to Faccia Brutto, an all-American brand that produces Italian spirits. The idea belongs to an American chef, Patrick Miller, who for...

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Most people drink amaro before they even realize what it is: an Aperol spritz on a summer afternoon, Campari in a Negroni during a winter happy hour, a finger of Fernet at the end of a meal. Amaro, which means “bitter” in Italian, is an infinitely and intentionally broad category of liqueur that typically involves herbs, and some combination of bit...

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