In the hospitality industry, amaro is cool. It’s the shot that a friend insists on sending to the chef after a particularly special birthday meal. When an industry person comes in to dine at a restaurant, what does the team send them as a parting gift? Mini bottles of Fernet Branca, of course. And at the dive bar after an exhausting Friday shift, a sommrequests a round of shots. “Whiskey?” asks the bartender. The response: “Nah, gimme some Cynar!”

Over the last five to 15 years, the family of bitter Italian liqueurs called amaro (amari, in the plural form), has become a staple at any restaurant or bar that wants to be seen as beverage-focused. Where once only old-school Italian trattorie would have dusty bottles of amaro stashed away, now three-Michelin star restaurants like Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se each have a handful of amari on their lists.