The History of Italian Amari: What They Are and How to Classify Them

There isn’t a family that doesn’t keep a few bottles of amaro in the pantry or freezer, ready to be sipped at the end of a meal.

But how did this tradition begin? How is an amaro made? What is the difference between an amaro and a liqueur? Want to know more?

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But how did the tradition begin?

Around a thousand years ago, in the time of the Romans and the Greeks, doctors would prescribe infusions of aromatic herbs and wine derivatives to treat various ailments of the human body such as rheumatism, muscle pain and even unknown disorders.

It was in fact the custom of physicians to combine all the healing properties of herbs in order to create a medicine that could defeat every illness, a sort of universal remedy. This explains the multitude of amari we have in Italy, which are also very different from one another.

Later, through the Arabs, masters of elixirs, these products began to take on an artistic dimension for monks and apothecaries, who experimented with blends of many flavours in order to create the right aromatic drink and remedy.

But this did not actually save lives, it served rather to ease the pain.

Around the 800s and 900s the amaro began to acquire the character of a “pleasure drink” to be enjoyed at the end of a meal, since it set digestion in motion by activating saliva and gastric juices. Hence the tradition of the after-dinner drink. This aspect took shape during the Renaissance, when it was the people’s good intention to “live well”, and by this they meant enjoying infusions not for medical reasons but for pleasure.

As already mentioned, there are amari of every kind, also because of where they are produced. The recipe for an amaro, in fact, changes according to the family that creates it, which is why the flavour of the drink varies depending on the plants used and the infusion time. The classic official plants are cinchona, gentian and angostura bark, since each of these is antibacterial, but depending on the region where it is made, some plants may not be available.

Roner’s Alpler, which you can find here, is for example made with Alpine plants typical of Trentino-Alto Adige that cannot be found in Sicily, and vice versa for Limoncello, created from young Sicilian lemons.

How to make Italian amaro

Among the various methods for making amaro, there is first of all the distillation of herbs, which dates back to the Middle Ages, with herbs left to steep in pure alcohol.

Treating yourself to a good homemade digestif is a great pleasure, so below we list some of the most popular and easiest recipes to try.

The 13 herbs

To prepare this amaro, the herbs must be left to infuse for a few days and then filtered.

The ingredients are based on 3 leaves of each of the following plants: mint, basil, lemon, bay laurel, lemon verbena, cloves, camomile flowers, rosemary and juniper berries. In addition, add half a cinnamon stick, 400g of sugar and of water, and 0.3 litres of 95° alcohol.

So place the 13 herbs in the alcohol for at least 3 days, then add the sugar and leave to rest for a further 3 days.

Myrtle liqueur

In Sardinia this liqueur is hugely renowned and widespread, made with myrtle berries that give it a purplish colour. The quantities of the ingredients are 600g of myrtle berries, 600g of sugar and 1 litre of water and pure alcohol.

Making this amaro takes longer, since the berries must be left to rest for at least 40 days in the alcohol, in a cool, dark place. At the end, distil the liquid by gently squeezing the berries, and you will obtain the juice.

The difference between liqueur and amaro

As the word itself suggests, the essential difference lies in the amount of sugar in the drink. Liqueurs, moreover, are obtained through 3 methods: infusion, distillation or through the use of essential oil in the alcohol.

Amari, on the other hand, are obtained by flavouring ethyl alcohol with the various herbs, left to rest for a certain period of time.

How to drink amaro

As mentioned earlier, it is customary to drink amaro at the end of a meal, whether lunch or dinner, depending on what one prefers.

Some amari, such as Amaro del Capo, are drunk cold or even ice-cold; others, instead, are enjoyed at room temperature to savour every nuance of the infusion.

Still others tend to be drunk mixed, like limoncello with the addition of bay leaf, lime or ginger beer. This gives the drink a more dynamic character.