Amaro-Coke simple to make, easy on your holiday budget

Just hours before dinner last Thanksgiving, we realized that all we had on hand for drinks were wine and beer — fine but insufficiently, um, festive.

Cocktails are festive, but alas, we didn’t have the ingredients, nor the extra hands needed, to mix drinks for 20-plus guests. We did, however, have three bottles of different amaros, the now popular Italian liquors infused with sometimes bitter herbal essences. Amaros (or amari, the plural in Italian) include beverages like Fernet-Branca, Averna and Cynar; you’ve probably noticed some of them on bar shelves.

We set up a table with the amari, Coke, ice and glasses, and we invited guests to make their own Fernet-Coke. The recipe could not be simpler: add a splash of Fernet-Branca (or any amaro) to Coke and ice. Boom, done.

Amari are usually served as digestifs, beverages enjoyed in small sips after big meals. There’s no reason, however, why you can’t have an amaro-based cocktail before dinner. Either way, you benefit from the stomach-settling properties of both the amaro and the Coke.

Most guests took very well to making their own amaro-Coke. As hosts we learned:

Letting guests make their own amaro-Coke (or any simple cocktail) is fun and enables them to mix exactly the drink they want (using more or less amaro or Coke).

Three 750-milliliter bottles of amaro — FernetBranca, Averna and Cynar — came in at around $90 (tax included). Add Coke, and you have several dozen cocktails for about $100.

Guests may be apprehensive of amaro, which means “bitter,” and in English, “bitter” is not a positive word: Think “bitter end,” “bitter feelings” and so on. But one sip of the amaro-Coke, and they smile. It’s an uncomplicated, pleasing cocktail.

For guests who are really digging the amaro, make a Toronto. This cocktail is also super simple (our favorite kind): 2 ounces rye, ¼ ounce each amaro and simple syrup, two drops of Angostura bitters; stir, strain into a rocks glass and garnish with orange peel.

After dinner, you can serve any remaining amari neat as digestifs.

Of our three very different amari, Fernet-Branca has notes of mint, citrus and cardamom; Averna is sweet and lighter, with flowery licorice flavors; Cynar comes on most aggressively, with deep green flavors and pronounced bitterness. But there are dozens of other brands. Experiment. As for the Coke, take a cue from Edoardo Branca, of the Italian distillery family.

“I prefer using Mexican Coke in Fernet con Coca,” says Branca. “Mexican Coke is made with real sugar cane. Because all ingredients in FernetBranca are natural, we recommend mixing it with products that are also natural.”

Mexican Coke, once available only at neighborhood bodegas, is now sold at larger stores, including Target. It’s more expensive than regular Coke (about $6.50 for a six-pack), but hey, it’s the holidays!

David Hammond is a freelance writer.