DIY Amaro

Making bitters with R is great fun, and we’ve accumulated quite the stockpile of unusual ingredients. Devil’s club root. Angelica. Quassia bark. Wormwood. Schizandra berries. Horehound. For bittering agents such as these, a little goes a long way – one teaspoon (or less) per batch of bitters is typical. At that rate, the flavors are destined to fade well before we’re able to use them up. I hate to waste foodstuff, but must admit that I’m hard-pressed to think of many recipes that would benefit from a boost of bitterness.

And then it hit me: amaro! This bittersweet Italian liqueur is a personal favorite, and incorporates many of the same components as bitters. So it seemed obvious to try my hand at amaro-making. I vaguely recalled that my go-to guide (fittingly entitled Amaro, by Brad Thomas Parsons) contained DIY instructions. Normally, I stick to the script when preparing a recipe for the first time, but the process for making amaro and bitters is virtually the same. Given our success with the latter, I decided to wing it, using the book’s formulas to estimate the appropriate amounts of various ingredients. And why limit myself to just one flavor of amaro when I could make two? We’ll know in a few months, when the final products are ready for tasting, whether or not my confidence was misplaced…

h.

Ingredients for citrusy and woodsy amari; marinating in their jars

Citrusy amaro

• zest of one lemon, cut into strips

• zest of one grapefruit, cut into strips

• 1 tsp. dried orange peel

• 1 tsp. dried lemon peel

• 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

• 6 pods green cardamom, lightly crushed

• ½ tsp. coriander

• ½ tsp. white peppercorns

• ¼ tsp. juniper berries

• 1 pinch saffron

• 1 Tbsp. gentian root

• 1 Tbsp. quassia

• 1 tsp. cinchona bark

• 1 tsp. wormwood

• 1 tsp. angelica

• 1 tsp. calamus

• 1 tsp. hops

• 1 ½ cup Everclear 151

• ½ cup simple syrup (1:1 mix of sugar and water)

• 1 cup filtered or distilled water

Woodsy amaro

• 1 cup pecans, toasted

• zest of one orange, cut into strips

• 1 Tbsp. dried orange peel

• 1 Tbsp. cacao nibs

• 1 vanilla bean

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

• 1 Tbsp. cassia chips

• 1 Tbsp. gentian root

• 1 Tbsp. cinchona bark

• 1 tsp. wild cherry bark

• 1 tsp. devil’s club root

• 1 tsp. quassia bark

• 1 tsp. schizandra berries

• 1 pinch black walnut leaf

• 1 ½ cup Everclear 151

• ½ cup Demerara syrup (1:1 mix of Demerara sugar and water)

• 1 cup filtered or distilled water

Steps (for each amaro)

• two quart-sized mason jars w/ lids, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, funnel

• place all non-liquid ingredients in one jar

• add Everclear, shake to mix, and seal tightly

• store at room temperature out of direct sunlight, shaking periodically

• after three weeks, pour liquid through strainer into second jar to remove solids

• filter liquid through cheesecloth-lined funnel into first jar

• repeat filtering between jars as needed until all sediments are removed

• add simple syrup, seal tightly, and shake to mix

• store as above for two weeks with periodic shaking

• filter liquid through cheesecloth-lined funnel as above

• add water, mix well, and taste

• add more syrup or water as desired

• keeps indefinitely, but drink within one year for best flavor