225 Club YEAR 5 release: barrel-rested amaro
225 CLUB YEAR 5 Release No. 1 is Barrel-Rested Amaro
Amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed as an after-dinner digestif. It’s made by infusing alcohol with a mix of herbs, flowers, aromatic bark, citrus peel and spices — a blend that can include anything from cardamom to elderberry flowers. Then it's sweetened with sugar syrup and aged, sometimes for years. It's silky, like a liqueur; bitter and sweet in varying degrees; aromatically complex; and absolutely delicious
Many of these bitter concoctions have a history in the late 1700 and early 1800s as being developed for their medicinal qualities. Many times the botanical, herb, or spice that was acting as the medicine was extracted with alcohol but gave a bitter flavor. Other botanicals along with sugar were used to mask some of the bitterness.
Every Amaro is different, and there are hundreds. As consumers become more accustomed to bitter cocktails, the interest in Amaro has been growing and with so many variations to choose from, it is becoming more popular as the primary base spirit in cocktails. Play with it in your next cocktail for some bittersweet complexity or enjoy it by itself on a rock and enjoy the lingering notes of the ex-bourbon barrel. Cheers!
k, k, & m