Cocktails: Exploring Brucato’s Amari Trio

One night after dinner, I poured my last ounce of Green Chartreuse (which is nearly impossible to find these days), and a thought crossed my mind; if herbal-bitter liqueurs are local expressions of the European landscape, why hasn’t someone come up with bitter liqueurs that represent us here locally? After all, California is a virtual smorgasbord of indigenous fruits and herbs.

A quick search turned up Brucato Amaro, a new set of bitter liqueurs (Amari) made by Sierra and James Clark in San Francisco, offering three distinct bitter liqueur expressions: Chaparral, Orchards, and Woodlands. It didn’t take me long to realize that each expression represents California versions of defacto Amari from Europe.

Chaparral, which is lighter in color, makes a great Green Chartreuse stand-in. Woodlands, which is darker in color and fruitiness can be used in place of Amaro Montenegro. The reddish one, Orchards, does a nice job filling in for Campari or even Aperol. Yet each are far from carbon copies of the originals. They’re bitter, sweet, and bursting with their own personality. With locally sourced ingredients, one sip might conjure scent memories of a local hike, while another might remind you of trying fruit at a farmer’s market.

Download a free cocktail list from the website brucatoamaro.com