Amaros have never been more popular, and for good reason. They are the perfect sip to start or finish a meal, offering a bit of herby complexity to wake up the palate or to cap things off. When used in a cocktail or a spritz, they add subtle nuances to even the most basic drinks, and are a great way to cool down on a hot and hazy evening.
They also happen to make excellent cocktails. A few years ago, I ended up at a hostel in Rimini, Italy, one August. While it may have been walking distance from the ocean, there was no sign of air conditioning, central or otherwise. While sweating away at a barstool, the bartender suggested that I try a refreshing summer drink called an M&M, made with equal parts mezcal and Amaro Montenegro and garnished with an orange slice.
I sipped, instantly chilled to my core, and have been making them at home ever since.
What’s So Great About Amaro Montenegro?
Amari (the plural for amaro) are a type of liqueur that are known for containing various infusions of herbs and botanicals. Montenegro has been made in Bologna, Italy, since 1855 and begins with a neutral base spirit that is infused with 40 different herbs, plants, barks, and roots, and ends up being 23% ABV (alcohol by volume).
It was named after Princess Elena of Montenegro, Italy’s second queen, and is a top-secret formula. To this day, only 13 of the 40 ingredients have been made public.
What’s the Best Way to Enjoy Amaro Montenegro?
As far as I’m concerned, the M&M is perfect: slightly herbaceous and floral, refreshing and impossible to mess up. Bars like Shinji’s in Manhattan have made more complex versions like a frozen M&M shot that melts in your mouth. Combine “Derrumbes San Luis Potosi mezcal with Montenegro Amaro and a little bit of charred orange juice,” says Jonathan Adler, a beverage director at the popular cocktail bar. “This gets stabilized with guar gum and kappa carrageenan, two hydrocolloids typically used when making sorbet with a high water content to prevent crystallization.”
While the frozen version is worth the trip to NYC, the M&M cocktail comes together at home within minutes and requires no special tools besides ice and something you can use to stir.
Even as the M&M gains in popularity, the Montenegro amaro spritz is also worth trying. The spritz is just slightly more complicated than the M&M with four ingredients incorporated together including a base of Amaro Montenegro topped with prosecco, soda water, and plenty of ice.
What’s your favorite two-ingredient summer cocktail? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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