Amaro - by Brad Thomas Parsons (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Featuring more than 100 recipes, Amaro is the first book to demystify the ever-expanding, bittersweet world, and is a must-have for any home cocktail enthusiast or industry professional.

The European tradition of making bittersweet liqueurs--called amari in Italian--has been around for centuries. But it is only recently that these herbaceous digestifs have moved from the dusty back bar to center stage in the United States, and become a key ingredient on cocktail lists in the country's best bars and restaurants. Lucky for us, today there is a dizzying range of amaro available--from familiar favorites like Averna and Fernet-Branca, to the growing category of regional, American-made amaro.

Starting with a rip-roaring tour of bars, cafés, and distilleries in Italy, amaro's spiritual home, Brad Thomas Parsons--author of the James Beard and IACP Award-winner Bitters--will open your eyes to the rich history and vibrant culture of amaro today. With more than 100 recipes for amaro-centric cocktails, DIY amaro, and even amaro-spiked desserts, you'll be living (and drinking) la dolce vita.

Review Quotes

"With cocktail recipes, amaro-spiked desserts, and even a guide to making your own amari, this book is a comprehensive guide to the liqueur. Ranging from personal anecdotes about cocktails to multiple paragraphs about a classic's history, you get fun, interesting context with every recipe."--Saveur

"One man's love affair with bitter liqueurs . . . the book is ideally timed: Many Americans in the last few years have discovered the bracing pleasures of drinks like Campari, Aperol, Cynar and even the acerbic Fernet Branca."--The New York Times

"Parsons more than delivers on sweet ways to enjoy the spirit, explains the vast amari family tree and gives tips for how to make your own variety for every season."--Tasting Table

"If you're a fan of Campari, Averna, Cynar, or other bittersweet liqueurs, this book will have your mouth watering and your liquor cabinet collapsing under its own weight."--Serious Eats

"Brad Thomas Parsons's Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs serves as an Alice-like rabbit hole allowing full immersion in the world of amaro."--The Wall Street Journal

"Beautifully photographed by Ed Anderson, Amaro is as much a desperately needed guide to the opaque and ill-defined world of bitter herbal liqueurs as it is a visual love letter to Italy."--PUNCH

"This stylishly-designed volume offers background on the main producers, over a hundred cocktail recipes and a section on how to make your own amaro at home."--Forbes

"Thanks to Brad Thomas Parsons, we now have a book that properly celebrates the category, and teaches us just how sweet it is to drink what's bitter."--Danny Meyer, founder of the Union Square Hospitality Group

"I am a longtime lover of bitter Italian liqueurs. But this smart handbook has deepened my understanding of and heightened my appreciation for amaro and its kin. Read this and you will be thirsty."--Mario Batali

"Parsons's passion for the history, culture, and personalities behind these herbaceous concoctions, coupled with Ed Anderson's gorgeous photography, make Amaro a must-have."--Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist

"Amaro is complete and thirst-inducing. Two thumbs up!"--Frédéric Morin and David McMillan, authors of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef

"Fernet-Branca: what would we do without it? It is certainly my favorite of the amaros; some even say that it cures all known ailments and improves the humors."--Fergus Henderson, author of The Complete Nose to Tail

"Amaro is the most in depth, detailed, and well put together book on the industry's favorite class of liqueurs. From the better known Campari and Fernet Branca to American-made amari like Calisaya from Oregon, this work is encyclopedic in its scope."--Star Chefs

About the Author

Brad Thomas Parsons is the author of Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs and Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, which was the winner of the James Beard and IACP Cookbook Awards, and a finalist for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Parsons received an MFA in writing from Columbia University, and his work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Lucky Peach, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Punch, and more. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit www.btparsons.com.