The amaro fizz: a liqueur cocktail to soothe the nerves and settle the stomach

Whether this crisp weekend in Miami takes you to the Miami International Book Fair, the Lincoln Road farmer's market or all around town for Thanksgiving preparations, coming home to a soothing cocktail is a great way to settle the nerves and fortify the soul. Combining traditional nerve and stomach soothers from two very different yet equally wise islands, the amaro fizz brings together ginger beer and Averna Amaro to create a beverage that is warm, sweet and comforting.

While both ginger beer and amaro are relatively unknown in the United States, they are both prized for their taste as well as their medicinal qualities in their respective homelands. Used for centuries throughout Italy as a digestive, the branch of liqueurs known as amaro (bitters) is a sweetened infusion of herbs, roots and flowers traditionally served neat with a slice of orange. Of the many selections of amaro available, Averna Amaro, hailing from Sicily, is one of the most-prized. Across the great pond, ginger beer is in Jamaica as a stomach settler. In comparison with its cousin ginger ale, ginger beer is thicker beverage with a lighter fizz and prominent notes of the warm ginger; in short, it tastes far more like ginger. For this recipe, D&B Old Jamaican Ginger Beer, available at one of our most-prized Jamaican restaurants, was used.

The amaro fizz

• 1 1/4 oz. amaro, Averna Amaro is recommended
• 4 oz. ginger beer, Old Jamaican Ginger Beer is recommended

     Pack a cocktail shaker full of ice and add the amaro. Shake until very cold, then strain into a tumbler glass filled with fresh ice. Add the ginger beer to the tumbler and give a gentle stir. Curl up on the couch and let the amaro fizz work its humble magic.

Cheers to you and yours!

For more information:

D&G Old Jamaican Ginger Beer is available at Jamaica Kitchen located at 8736 SW 72nd St.

Averna Amaro is readily available at most fine liquor stores.