Cocktails · 28 June 2026 · 1 min read
Amaro is not a personality
I own eleven bottles of bitter Italian liqueur. I am aware of how that sounds. Here are the three that earn their shelf.
There is a moment in every home bartender's development where they discover amaro and become insufferable about it. I am told I am still in that moment. I dispute the framing.
The Black Manhattan is the gateway. Swap the sweet vermouth for Averna and the drink goes from familiar to slightly haunted, in a good way.
The Paper Plane is the one you make for people who say they don't like bitter drinks. Equal parts, impossible to get wrong, and it converts about seventy percent of skeptics.
Cheers, Steve
Keep reading
New drinks, sometimes.
No schedule, no spam, no “hey friend” opener. Just what I’ve been drinking, when there’s something worth sending.