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The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

As more Americans embrace bitter flavors, domestic amari find a niche

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May 18, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. EDT
While they all share a bitter note, American amari — like their Italian forebears — are all over the flavor map. From left: Greenbar Poppy; Fast Penny Amaricano; DeGroff New World Amaro (back); High Wire Southern; St. Agrestis Amaro; Heirloom Pineapple; Amaro Angeleno; Bruto Americano. (Scott Suchman/ for The Washington Post)

When one of the most influential bartenders of all time partners with one of the drink world’s most influential distillers, cocktail fans take note. Are they making a new whiskey? Boarding the celebrity-tequila boat so crowded it’s practically got its own lido deck?

We’re talking about Dale DeGroff, whose revamp of drinks at the Rainbow Room in the 1990s helped inspire the cocktail renaissance, and Ted Breaux, whose launch of Lucid Absinthe Supérieure marked the end of the 90-year U.S. ban on the spirit, so naturally the answer is more interesting.