Amaro Recipe

Toast & measure botanicals

Lightly toast whole spices (star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods) in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Remove and cool. Measure and prepare dried peels, gentian root, cinchona (if using), chamomile, and dried bitter orange peel.

Make spirit infusion

Place toasted spices and all dried botanicals (dried orange peel, lemon peel, gentian root, cinchona bark, chamomile, dried bitter orange peel, split vanilla bean) into a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Pour in the neutral spirit (vodka). Seal and shake gently. Let the botanicals macerate in the spirit for 5–10 days at room temperature, shaking once daily. Taste after 5 days; continue up to 10 days until you get a pronounced bitter-herbal aroma but not overly harsh bitterness.

Reduce wine (optional concentration)

Pour the sweet red wine into a wide saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce gently by about 10–15% (about 20–25 minutes) to concentrate flavors. Avoid boiling hard to preserve aromatics. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. This step is optional: if you prefer a lighter profile, skip reduction and use the wine as-is.

Make brown sugar-honey syrup

Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add honey, stir to combine. Simmer 1–2 minutes then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Strain spirit infusion

Once the spirit infusion reaches desired intensity, strain it through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean container, pressing gently to extract liquid and discard solids.

Blend wine, spirit, and syrup

In a large pitcher or jar, combine the reduced (or unreduced) sweet wine (3 cups) with 1 cup of the strained infused spirit. Add the cooled brown sugar-honey syrup gradually, stirring and tasting as you go. The target flavor should be pleasantly bitter-sweet with herbal depth. You will likely use all the syrup but adjust to taste. If the amaro is too bitter, add a splash more syrup or a teaspoon more honey; if too sweet, add a little more infused spirit (in small increments).

Rest & marry

Transfer the blended amaro to a sealed bottle and let it rest for at least 5–7 days in a cool, dark place to allow flavors to marry. Shake gently once every day for the first three days.

Before serving, taste and if needed, fine-tune sweetness or bitterness: sweeten with teaspoonfuls of honey or syrup, or balance bitterness with a small amount of additional wine. Chill or serve over ice. Serve 1–2 oz (30–60 ml) as a digestif in a small glass, garnished with an orange twist. Store in the refrigerator or a cool dark cupboard; homemade amaro will keep several months, longer if high ABV.