Spiced amari
Many amari feature spice notes–like baking spices and vanilla–as supporting characters, but there are some that feature spices as their primary flavors. This is another one of those subcategories that isn’t formally defined (it just exists in my head) and these three bottles came to mind immediately as perfect examples to illustrate what I mean.
Amaro Lucano: a late nineteenth-century amaro from the southern Italian province of Basilicata, it’s named for the ancient Roman name for the region, Lucania. It’s a great starter amaro (not too challenging) with cinnamon and licorice notes; known botanicals include bitter orange, angelica, blessed thistle, sage, and wormwood.
Amaro Abano: released in 1952, Abano is an amaro from renowned maraschino liqueur producer Luxardo, in Padua. It offers strong spice notes of cardamom and cinnamon, as well as black pepper. I’ve used Amaro Abano in summer and fall cocktails and punches with aged spirits and stone fruit with excellent results.
Amaro Montenegro: created in the 1880s, this iconic Bolognese amaro offers big vanilla flavor, along with clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel. To me, it tastes like being inside of an old church! There’s something of incense there, but in a most pleasant way. This one’s a real crowd-pleaser and is a welcome addition to any amaro collection.
Pairing suggestion: spice-forward amari go very nicely with apple or pear desserts, like tarte tatin, a pear frangipane tart, or good ol’ apple pie!