On a recent trip to Rome, I discovered something wonderful. Not the stunning architecture or the beautiful art, or the incredible history of the Roman Forum — though those are pretty great too — but a new to me amaro called Amaro Formidabile. The amaro is handmade in Rome, using a long list of botanicals including cinchona, wormwood, gentian, kola nut, star anise, and more, and it has all the fruity sweetness of something like Montenegro, but with a solid bitter backbone more reminiscent of Fernet.
What I like best about it though is the strong punch of anise that rushes to the front, making it almost reminiscent of Ouzo, but without the harshness and with more fruity, floral flavors supporting in the background. The Romans love to drink this amaro simply: just chilled, or perhaps over ice, but sipped alone after a meal as a tasty digestif. It’s a great way to see off a delicious, indulgent Roman meal of artichokes with pecorino romano, stuffed courgette flowers or fiori di zucca, then a big hearty bowl of cacio e pepe.
If you get a chance to try this amaro, I can heartily recommend it, especially if you love powerful bitter flavors. But I never met an amaro I didn’t want to try and mix with, so as soon as I tasted it I knew it had to find its way into a cocktail as well.
And what better cocktail to use as a base than the ubiquitous Italian classic, the Negroni? The iconic combination of three equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari lends itself exceedingly well to variations, giving an easy template for swapping in and out ingredients as you see fit. With a Negroni and a glass of Amaro Formidabile on the table, it’s impossible not to want to mix them together.
Normally, you would work a Negroni variation by using another amaro instead of Campari, or by using a liqueur in place of the sweet vermouth. But with the Amaro Formidable, I found that it matched well with both the bitter notes of the Campari and the sweet fruitiness of the sweet vermouth. Removing either of these ingredients detracted a little from the experience, so I found the best way to work it is to make a regular Negroni and then add the amaro on top.
The combination lets the base of the classic Negroni support the bitter anise notes of the amaro, and I like to add a piece of star anise as a garnish to enhance the flavors. If you’d like a milder version, you can use just half an ounce of the amaro, but I like embracing its full flavors.
How to make a Negroni Formidabile
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. London Dry gin
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth
- 1 oz. Campari
- 1 oz. Amaro Formidabile
Method:
Stir ingredients well with ice and strain into a tumbler with one large ice cube. Add a dash of orange bitters and garnish with a piece of star anise.
