Amari & bitter friends: an update

Prior to The Great Site Update of Christmas 2014, we published a list of amari hidden under a link on the recommended brands page. We have put some time and thought into our bitter friends, and have split the list into our top dozen or so recommendations, plus a list of other amari that are available.

Some amari are easy to find; others ... not so much. There are hundreds of amari that aren't even imported to the US. Look for amari at larger liquor stores, or specialty stores in the Italian section of your city.

Click »»» Amari & friends ««« to read more, also available under RESOURCES.

 

Woxum

1 oz Applejack
1 oz Sweet vermouth
1⁄2 oz Herbal liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

Notes

Sort of an apple Bijou.

History

Standard disclaimer with all drinks from this book that Albert Stevens Crockett seems to have been a poor transcriber of the notes he acquired, with little understanding of ingredients or methods of preparation practiced at the Waldorf Astoria, and multiple attested or probable errors.

Yields Drink
Year
1900s
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, NYC.
Source reference

Albert Stevens Crockett, Old Waldorf Bar Days, p. 173.

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(12 ratings)
From other users
  • I'm not much of a fan of classic stirred drinks but this one stands out as unique and not as sweet as many others. I used Carpano Antica vermouth and I'm sure it's not as flavorful with others, though maybe slightly less sweet.
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  • Back to Town — Reposado Tequila, Aromatized wine, Bolivar Bitters, Plain shrub
  • The French Intervention — Reposado Tequila, Aromatized wine, Herbal liqueur, Grapefruit peel
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Sidney Cocktail

1 1⁄3 oz Rye
2⁄3 oz Herbal liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse
1⁄3 oz Dry vermouth
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

Notes

The text only specifies "French Vermouth," which could also be the sweet blanc style. Up to you.

Yields Drink
Year
1930
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
"Jimmy," Ciro's.
Source reference

Cocktails by "Jimmy" late of Ciro's, p. 70, via Martin's Index.

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(4 ratings)
From other users
  • Boozy and a bit sweet. Maybe up the dry vermouth and decrease the Chartreuse.
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  • 3-2-1 — Rye, Herbal liqueur, Dry vermouth
  • Gramercy — Rye, Sweet vermouth, Herbal liqueur, Bénédictine
  • Gucci Sweater Now — Cognac, Bénédictine, Valdespino Jerez Quina, Dry vermouth
  • Nation Of Two — Bourbon, Sweet vermouth, Herbal liqueur, Black peppercorns
  • Forty Virtues — Armagnac, Bianco Vermouth, Herbal liqueur, Bonal Gentiane Quina, Orange bitters

New Brunswick (1930)

2 oz Blended Scotch
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
3⁄4 oz Maple syrup
Instructions

Shake, strain, up.

Notes

The original calls for 1 oz Scotch and 1/2 oz each of maple syrup and lemon juice.

Yields Drink
Year
1930
Authenticity
Altered recipe
Creator
"Jimmy," Ciro's.
Source reference

Cocktails by "Jimmy" late of Ciro's, David McKay Company, p. 57, via Martin's Index.

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(1 rating)
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  • Stringfellow's Lament — Blended Scotch, Islay Scotch, Bitters, Lemon juice, Orgeat
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  • Kentucky Maid — Bourbon, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Cucumber, Mint
  • Basil Sour — Bourbon, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Basil

Puritan Cocktail

1 1⁄2 oz Gin, Plymouth
3⁄4 oz Dry vermouth
1 t Herbal liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse
3 ds Orange bitters
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

Yields Drink
Year
1900
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Source reference

"The Cocktail Book: A Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen", published by L.C. Page & Co. in 1901, but copyright 1900.

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(11 ratings)
From other users
  • Lemon twist is essential here to balance out the Gin botanicals and Chartreuse sweetness
  • 2oz (60ml) gin .75oz (22.5ml) Yellow Chartreuse .5oz (15ml) Dry Vermouth 2 Dashes Feegans Orange Bitters Lemon Twist
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thiudans commented on 6/02/2019:

Alaska improved with dry vermouth, very nice. I've seen this on a menu with Dolin Blanc for Dry Vermouth, under the name "Vandelay Industries" which comes off a bit too sweet still.

Artur B commented on 5/07/2025:

Swapped Chartreuse for Strega and double it.

Shawn C commented on 5/08/2025:

Curated to correct name of original reference text, publisher, and year (1900 vs. 1926). Author not listed, but a 2009 recipe/discussion of the cocktail on Frederic Yarm's site indicates Fredrick L. Knowles was the author. I also corrected a substantial error in the recipe: rather than 1/2 barspoon of yellow Chartreuse it actually lists "one spoonful". Since modern bar spoon sizes vary and are often short or very short of a teaspoon, a half barspoon would be far too little, likely less than half the minimum correct recipe. I am listing this as 1 teaspoon. Teaspoonful and tablespoonful are listed many places in the book (primarily for sugar), "small spoonful" is listed once and "spoonful" alone is listed only in this cocktail--regrettably ambiguous. Tablespoon is unlikely as it would be more likely listed as "one-third" since ~two ounce cocktails were common. Also corrected ratio of gin to vermouth to 2:1, by upping vermouth to 3/4 oz.

Shawn C commented on 5/08/2025:

Tested the corrected recipe using Plymouth gin, Noilly Prat Original Dry (not extra-dry that is now the norm in the U.S. market), Yellow Chartreuse and Bitter Truth orange bitters. Balanced, yet complex for an otherwise drier cocktail. Herbal mint/alpine/juniper/anise along with bitter orange, and alcohol heat. Noilly original provides good white wine flavor and body underneath, and moderate wormwood bite to the finish.

Gonzalez

2 oz Gin, Beefeater
3⁄4 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Punt e Mes
1⁄4 oz Maraschino Liqueur, Luxardo
2 ds Bitters, Bitter Truth Aromatic
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

History

Phil Ward named this after Jess Gonzalez, D&C's first female bartender.

Yields Drink
Year
2008
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Phil Ward, Death & Co, NYC.
Source reference

Death & Co Cocktail Book.

Curator rating
4 stars
Average rating
3.5 stars
(11 ratings)
From other users
  • Made it with Beefeater 24; tweaked the ratios in some unknown manner.
  • Nice flavor profile but too similar to cherry cough syrup for most people in/before my generation
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Steel Hibiscus

1 oz Old Tom Gin, Ransom
3⁄4 oz Sorel liqueur
3⁄4 oz Lime juice
1⁄2 oz Passion fruit syrup
1 twst Lime peel (lime wheel)
Instructions

Shake, strain over ice in a Collins, garnish with a lime wheel.

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Thea Sasseen, Herbsaint, NOLA.
Source reference

https://web.archive.org/web/20150205064314/http://jackfrombrooklyn.com/…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(2 ratings)
From other users
  • Heavier on the passion fruit than I'd like.
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Santa Rosa (Dear Irving)

1 oz Aromatized wine, Cocchi Americano Rosa
1 oz Pisco
1 oz Sorel liqueur
3 Brandied cherry, Luxardo (muddled)
1 ds Absinthe (aromatic spritz, as garnish)
Instructions

Muddle, shake, strain over crushed ice in a Collins, spritz, garnish with another Luxardo cherry and a mint sprig.

Notes

The recipe might be missing an ingredient: the directions call for shaking lime juice, but there's no quantity listed.

Yields Drink
Year
2014
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Dear Irving, NYC.
Source reference

https://web.archive.org/web/20150205065857/http://jackfrombrooklyn.com/…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails
No similar cocktails found.

Dark Magic

2 oz Jamaican rum, Coruba (dark)
1 oz Lime juice
1⁄2 oz Pineapple juice
1⁄2 oz Brown sugar coffee syrup (2 parts sugar : 1 part strong coffee)
1⁄4 oz Passion fruit syrup, B.G. Reynolds
1⁄4 oz Vanilla syrup, B.G. Reynolds
1 ds Bitters
8 dr Pastis, Herbsaint
8 oz Ice
Instructions

Blend for 5 1-seconed pulses and pour unstrained into a 12-oz hurricane glass.

Notes

A riff on the Mai-Kai's Black Magic.

Yields Drink
Year
2010
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Colonel Tiki
Source reference

http://coloneltiki.com/?p=430

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
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Arena y Sangre

1 1⁄2 oz Mezcal, Del Maguey Chichicapa
1 oz Orange juice
3⁄4 oz Visciolo
1⁄2 oz Cherry Liqueur, Cherry Heering
1⁄4 oz Lemon juice
2 ds Orange bitters
1 twst Orange peel (flamed, as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, double strain, up, garnish.

Notes

Visciolo is a sour cherry dessert wine.

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Ryan Fitzgerald, Beretta, San Francisco, CA.
Source reference

http://mixology.eu/drinks-en/the-blood-and-sand-cocktail/?lang=en

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
From other users
  • Visciolo is an Italian sour cherry dessert wine
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