|
 When I picked up Bitters, a book celebrating the history and culture of using
bitters in cocktails, I was immediately hooked on the subject. I am
always drawn to books that not only tackle a single subject, but
do it so well. The book sparked additional interest when I made
the Pith Helmet from the book, an enticing mixture of gin, cucumbers,
Pimm’s, lemon, basil, black pepper, and a few dashes of bitters. I
wasn’t all that familiar with bitters (the renewed interest in
cocktails was just taking off in Paris), but loved what a dash
of this, and a few drops of that, could add to a drink.
I eventually connected
with Brad Parsons, the author of the book, and have been fortunate to
pull up a stool at several cocktail bars with him. (A friend
called him “The Holy Grail of Drinking Buddies.”) If you can’t be at
the next bar stool from him, Amaro (and Bitters) are the next best thing.
In fact, they may be
even better because the photos of his voyage to Italy by Ed Anderson (who shot the photos in My Paris Kitchen, who is also no slouch
in the drinking-buddy department…) capture the beauty and spirit
of the amaro culture in various places around the world. And you
don’t even have to worry about taking a tumble off a bar stool
to enjoy them.
 Amaro is an
Italian liqueur that defies an exact description. They could best be
described as herbal digestives, each flavored with a unique mixture
of spices, citrus, barks, flowers, roots, and fruits. (And sometimes
vegetables, such as rhubarb and artichokes.) Amari are not subtle and
if you’ve even had a sip of one after a rich meal, it provides a jolt
powerful enough to calm your stomach – and spirits, not matter
what came before it.
As Brad notes in his
book, humans have a natural aversion to bitter, a flavor that’s
naturally associated with something dangerous. But many things
that are bitter, such as broccoli and other greens, are actually
good for you. I’ll let you be the judge on any health-giving
properties of any kind of libation, but I know several people with
young children who say that without wine, they could not function.
|
