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ITALIAN DRINKS
Outlaw Pizza in the Warehouse District also has a surprising
selection of Amari — the owners assumed it made sense to serve
Italian liqueur with Italian-based food.Customers here skew toward
the college crowd, however, and they haven’t entirely embraced this.
“They don’t want to order something that sounds unfamiliar,” the
bartender explained. When I stopped by they were reducing the
Amari stock on the shelf by offering double shots for $6. Get it
while you can.
But the best destination in New Orleans for a serious sampling
of Amari these days is La Boca, the Argentine steakhouse on
Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse District. The connection
between Argentina and Italy isn’t as far-fetched as geography
suggests: The South American country has historically served as
home to a host of Italian immigrants. In fact, Argentina is the only
place outside Milan where Fernet Branca — a style of Amaro so
potent it’s famed as a double-dare-you bitter digestif — is made.
The menu offers more than a dozen Amari by the glass, ranging
fromMeletti, a sweeter and more floral Amaro that serves as a good
gateway, to the more belligerent and feisty Cynar 70, an artichoke-
based liqueur bottled at a higher proof than is usual.
For those just beginning an exploration, the restaurant also offers an
appealing Amaro flight — several pours selected by the bartender. I
got a flight of five Amari, each less than an ounce, and each offering
a quick trip in geography, history and taste. It’s the most efficient
education in Amaro you can get — a quick lesson in learning they’re
not all the same, and that they vary substantially in their profiles.
As an added bonus, they go splendidly with steak.
Digestif Cocktails
Toronto Cocktail
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2
ounces Canadian whiskey
ounce Fernet Branca
ounce simple syrup
2
dashes Angostura bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
HOW TO PREP
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into
a chilled glass. Twist orange peel over the drink and use as garnish.
Negroni Cocktail
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1 ounce London dry gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce Vermouth Rosso
Slice of orange, for garnish
HOW TO PREP
Pour all of the ingredients directly into a glass filled with ice. Stir.
Garnish with a slice of orange.
Aperitifs
An aperitif is a beverage served before a meal to stimulate the
appetite. It’s usually dry and has a low alcohol content.
• Aperol
This bitter liqueur’s exact recipe is a secret, but we know
it contains hints of bitter orange and both gentian and
cinchona flower, among other ingredients. Aperol has a
very low alcohol content of only 11 percent. Drink over ice
or in a spritzer with seltzer or club soda.
• Campari
Campari has a higher alcohol content and more prominent
flavor than Aperol. Its recipe, like Aperol’s, is shrouded in
mystery. It has hints of rhubarb and berries, and a floral
bouquet of various herbs and plants. Campari is featured
in the Negroni, the most famous Italian cocktail in the
world.
• Cynar
This bitter aperitif is made by steeping 13 herbs in a
neutral spirit. But its predominant ingredient is the
artichoke (Cynara scolymus), from which the drink derives
its name. Cynar can be drunk as either an aperitif (usually
on the rocks) or in a cocktail.
Dessert Liqueurs
Dessert is often accompanied by a dessert wine or liqueur.
• Amaretto
This almond-flavored liqueur is commonly paired with a
coffee liqueur or mixed with coffee.
• Frangelico
This hazelnut liqueur is produced in Piedmont. Its origins
date back more than 300 years to the presence of early
Christian monks living in the area. Its bottle — shaped like
a monk’s habit, with a traditional rope belt around its waist
— is an immediate reminder of its distinctive history. Serve
at room temperature or on the rocks.
• Sambuca
This colorless, anise-flavored liqueur is commonly served
neat, with some coffee beans (known as con la mosca, or
“with the fly”) floating in the glass. The beans represent
health, happiness and prosperity.
Digestifs
Digestifs contain herbs and spices that have stomach-settling
properties. A digestif normally has a higher alcohol content
than its before-dinner counterpart.
• Amaro
This infusion of various herbs, roots and vegetables in
alcohol is renowned for its alleged powers at countering
the effects of overindulging at the dinner table. Flavors
range from earthy and bitter to sickly sweet. It may be
served at room temperature or on the rocks.