DRINKS

Why a tart glass of amaro should be your go-to after-dinner drink

Why amaro should be your new go-to afterdinner drink.

ITALIAN FOR “BITTER,” amaro will be a familiar taste to anyone who spent the summer knocking back Campari and Aperol-based cocktails (and based on drink menus lately, that was most of us). But while the two amari liqueurs in those still skew somewhat sweet, their richer cousins — digestivo amari, which are meant for post-feast consumption — are pleasantly bracing. And it’s time they got their due, too.

With a musky flavour evocative of a cabin in the woods, amaro actually dates back to Italian monasteries. Back in medieval times, monks brewed the elixir — made by infusing grape brandy with a choice blend of herbs — for its supposed ability to aid in digestion. During Prohibition, certain brands were even able to dodge the booze ban by masquerading as stomach-soothing medicine. Do they actually have magical properties? We certainly think so.