Bitter liqueurs are the most mysterious chapter in our liqueur tradition. Born in monasteries, perfected by pharmacists, they are appreciated by all.
Walk into any bar in Italy after lunch or a restaurant after dinner, and nine times out of ten, someone will order an amaro. Neat, on the rocks, in a narrow glass. It's a silent, almost religious ritual, passed down through generations. And few know that this daily gesture conceals one of the most fascinating stories of Italy's heritage.
A monastic legacy
Bitter liqueurs weren't created to please. They were created to heal. As early as the Middle Ages, Italian monks, great botanists, produced elixirs based on herbs, roots, and bark to combat digestive disorders, fevers, and melancholy. Convents became secret laboratories, where recipes were jealously guarded and passed down only to the initiated.
It is no coincidence that many modern bitters retain this origin in their name: the Fernet Branca, for example, was created in 1845 by a Milanese pharmacist, Bernardino Branca, and his recipe remains one of Italy's best-kept secrets. It is said that only one person in the world knows all 27 ingredients. Each time that person ages, a successor is chosen and trained. An initiatory transmission, worthy of a secret order.
An Italy in every bottle
The most extraordinary thing about amari is that they tell the story of their territory. Every Italian region has its own, and each bottle is a miniature geographical map.
From Braulio from Valtellina, produced at 1300 metres with gentian and yarrow, Walnut Emilian made with green walnuts strictly harvested on the night of San Giovanni. FromBitter Lucan, born in 1894 in a pharmacy in Pisticci, Centerbe Abruzzese, so alcoholic that legend has it that it was even used as a disinfectant during the plague. FromAmaro Averna Sicilian, the recipe of which was donated in 1868 by a Benedictine friar to the patron Salvatore Averna.
Il Fernet Branca It is one of the most popular liqueurs in the world… but not in Italy. Its main market isArgentina, where it is mixed with Coca-Cola and consumed in record quantities: Argentina absorbs approximately 75% of the world's production. An Italian bitter that has made its fortune on the other side of the ocean thanks to emigration.Amaro Montenegro, founded in Bologna in 1885, is named in honor of Princess Elena of Montenegro, who married Prince Vittorio Emanuele. It contains 40 herbs, the exact composition of which no one, not even the employees, knows: only "Signor Erbe," the company's hereditary figure, knows the full formula. Cynar owes its scientific name to the artichoke (Cynara scolymus), but in reality there are thirteen herbs in the bottle: the artichoke is only the symbolic protagonist.
No journey through the tradition of Italian bitters is complete without a stop in Calabria, which has become one of the world's bitters capitals. Among the most well-known bitters is Old Amaro del Capo
Bitter Rupes, which in 2020 won the gold medal as the best bitter in the world. Mzero Sea Amaro which triumphs at the World Liqueur Awards 2021, as the best amaro in the world.Bitter Milone, which in 2022 confirms Calabrian excellence at the world top of the category. And again, the Jefferson Bitter Important, awarded several times in international competitions.
In recent years, Italian bitters have been enjoying a golden age. Bartenders in New York, London, and Tokyo study them as if they were works of art. In the world's best cocktail bars, a bottle of Amaro Nonino or nardini It is treated with the same reverence reserved for a great wine.
