There’s a new season Chef’s Table and I am very excited. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched it but it’s one of my favorite food shows. You don’t have to be a cook or food expert in order to enjoy it, which is what I like about the series. Yes, it’s about food but it’s really about the stories and the people behind the food. If you like stories paired with delicious foods, you’re in for a treat. I also think that Chef’s Table is beautifully shot. I mean, there are moments when I watch and my mouth is agape at how beautiful it all is.
It’s sort of ironic I write about an amaro cocktail while watching Chef’s Table. Here’s why. For me, Chef’s Table is all about stories, taking risks and trying something new. It’s being brave enough to take a leap. Now this cocktail is not that deep BUT I debated on experimenting with amaro because I was a bit intimidated by it.
I purchased some amaro over the Thanksgiving holiday to make a Thanksgiving amaro cocktail. It had interesting flavors and there was something about it that I liked. I couldn’t tell what it was but I knew that I wanted to pair it with something else in the future. After staring at it on my bar for weeks, I decided that not only was I going to make an amaro cocktail but I was going to do it with TEQUILA. Outside of margaritas, I don’t do a lot of experimenting with tequila so this was going to be real interesting.
Amaro cocktail, but wait…what’s amaro?
First off, the word “amaro” means bitter in Italian. If you’re familiar with amaro then you know the meaning of the word lives up to its taste. Yes, it’s bitter. I’d suggest tasting/sipping some amaro without any additional ingredients to get a true understanding of the flavor profile.
To put it simply: amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur. There are different varieties of amaro but I think the Italian variety is the most popular. Some folks would say amaro tastes a bit like medicine which makes sense because such liqueurs have been used to aid with digestion – like a medicine (but a little better).
Anyway, when contemplating this amaro cocktail, I knew I wanted it to be simple and and use ingredients that I already had in the kitchen. I think I achieved the simplicity of this drink that I wanted to accomplish but I do want to warn you: it’s an acquired taste. I don’t mind the slight bitterness from the amaro and I think some of the other flavors (like ginger beer) helps offset that bitterness. The blood orange is added for a couple of reasons: (1) I’m obsessed with blood oranges and (2) it adds an awesome color to the cocktail.
Let’s take a chance and make this drink.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 1 oz amaro
- .5 (or a little more) blood orange juice
- 2 dashes bitters
- Ginger beer
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except for the ginger beer) in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until it's nice and frosty on the outside. Strain into a glass and top with ginger beer.
