The Lush Chef

It's a new year, and it's been ages since I've done a Libation Education, so time to learn something new, lushes!  Amari, or Italian bitter liqueurs are having a huge love fest in the US right now.  They can either be mixed in cocktails or sipped as a digestivo (either neat or on the rocks) after dinner.  There are a ton of different kinds of amari out there and I could easily do post after post on all the various kinds.  Campari is one of the more recognizable ones, but Averna is starting to catch up in terms of name recognition and popping up in a lot of cocktails.  Cynar is also another amaro that I've talked about on this site and that I simply adore.

It's unclear when this exact recipe was created, as various Cistercian and Cluniac friars were producing it as a therapeutic tonic throughout Europe.  Salvatore Averna, after whom this amaro is named, was a benefactor of the Convent of St. Spirito's Abbey in Sicily, and as a form of thanks, the friars bequeathed him with the recipe in 1859.  In 1868, he started producing it for his household guests (lucky guests).  His son Francesco really started promoting the liqueur at fairs around Italy, and it became pretty well-known around the country and was receiving royal awards by 1895.  In 1912, Vittorio Emanuele III bestowed it with the royal coat of arms and it became the official supplier of the Royal Household.

Averna is a combination of bitter roots, herbs and citrus rinds that is infused in alcohol, with caramel added afterwards.  Of course the recipe is a secret, but it does have a distinctive flavor when you stack it up against Campari and Cynar.  It's the sweetest out of the three, so if this is your first time hopping on the amaro bandwagon, this is a good one to start with.  If you're looking for a fairly simple cocktail to start making, try my twist on The Last Word by substituting Averna for the maraschino liqueur.  I call it the Italian's Last Word and it's perfect for any time of year.

In the past couple of months, I've been spending A LOT of time at LACMA because of a new, ongoing film series that my company is working on with them.  Once or twice a week, I find myself at Stark Bar for a snack and cocktail before the Q&A.  The last time I was there, I asked for Bartender's Choice and he made me a Little Italy. He knew I liked amari and Cynar happens to be one of my favorites.  This is like a funky twist on a Manhattan and I turned it up a notch by adding one of my Brandied Cocktail Cherries.

Little Italy Cocktail - makes 1
Ingredients:

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1/2 oz Cynar
• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• maraschino or brandied cherry for garnish

- Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the rye whiskey, Cynar and sweet vermouth.
- Stir, stir to your heart's content and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with the cherry.

In my earlier posting about Cynar, I had mentioned this cocktail from The Roosevelt Hotel's Library Bar as being one of my favorites that contains this Italian artichoke-based bitter.  Well, I've done a little experimenting, and while it doesn't taste as perfect or look as pretty as Matt Biancaniello's, it's still pretty darn tasty.  You'll need some lavender simple syrup for this cocktail, so you can either make it or try hunting for it in some specialty gourmet store.  I recommend the former, because it's less expensive and far more impressive to your guests.  I recently whipped up a bunch of these at a cocktail party and the guys went nuts—they were looking for a bourbon cocktail that was slightly sweet and light to start the evening off, and this fit the bill.

Kentucky Bubble Bath - serves 1
Ingredients:

• 2 oz bourbon - Matt uses Bulleit and I do too!
• 1/2 oz Cynar
• 1/3 oz lavender simple syrup - can add more if you like it sweeter
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Lavender sprig for garnish

- Add all ingredients into a shaker glass, and shake away.  Strain over ice.
- Garnish with a lavender sprig.

You may have seen a giant bottle of this bitter apéritif with an artichoke on it at the bar and immediately recoiled.  A liqueur made with artichokes?  I'll get my vegetable fix another way!  But give Cynar (pronounced CHEE-nar) a chance.  It's popping up on cocktail menus everywhere, so get used to it.  It's a trend that's only going to get stronger.  If you're a fan of Campari and looking for something new to try, sub this libation into your Negronis.

Besides being made with artichokes, this bitter/amaro is drummed up from about 13 different herbs and plants, has a dark brown color, and is considered a digestive (yeah, it's good for you!).  It's also a part of the Gruppo Campari family, which makes Campari, Aperol, and other yummy Italian apéritifs.  And no, it tastes NOTHING like an artichoke.  That took me a good amount of convincing to some poor Bev-Mo employee when I bought a bottle.  I also think I finally convinced him to give it a try...

This rich, herbal liqueur can be drunk on the rocks, subbed in for your Campari cocktails, or can add a nice balance to a sweet cocktail.  I tend to see it mixed in with a lot of bourbon cocktails, like Matt Biancaniello's Kentucky Bubble Bath at The Roosevelt Hotel's Library Bar in Hollywood, or sometimes with a ton of other bitters like Eeyore's Requiem (Can someone please create a whole bar menu named after Winnie the Pooh characters?) at The Violet Hour in Chicago.  So next time you bop into your favorite mixology den, impress your friend by 1) pronouncing Cynar right and 2) picking a cocktail that contains it.  I think your mind will be changed about the libation in that funny looking bottle.