PrintThe Bitter End
Over at The Pour this week, New York Times chief wine critic Eric Asimov enjoys a heavy meal and follows it with an Old World flourish: a drink of bitter digestif. Asimov’s choice is Underberg, the venerable German bitter sold in paper-wrapped, single-portion bottles, widely acclaimed to be the most fitting cap to a meal, especially one that’s particularly heavy or rich.
Bitters aren’t particularly big in America—and here we’re talking potable bitters, as opposed to aromatic bitters such as Angostura which are used in drops and dashes—with a few notable exceptions. Campari has a firm grip on the bitters market here, but that mainly crops up as an aperitif as opposed to a stomach-settling finish to a meal; and another once-esteemed German herbal liqueur, Jägermeister , has seen its image sullied as its profits have soared, thanks to its widespread embrace by the spring break, drop-a-Jäger-in-your-Red-Bull crowd.
Pockets of bitters lovers exist, though, and for those with amore for amaro, there are plenty of good options out there. The once hard-to-find Hungarian bitter, Unicum, is now popping up with increasing frequency; Cynar, the Italian artichoke-based spirit, is earning new fans in New York and Seattle; and Fernet Branca—a legendary digestivo from Milan that seems to have a special place in the heart of every bartender in San Francisco—is not too hard to find. In fact, if you open up the Italian bitter bag, out comes a flood of different spirits made to settle a full stomach, from Amaro Ramazotti to Amero Lucano to Averna .
While the use of digestive bitters is on the wane in Europe, there are still many passionate holdouts as well as new believers. Where do you fit in? Does a little Underberg help soothe you after a big meal, or are your post-prandial needs satisfied simply by a walk and a nap?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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10 Comments:
What's wrong with having Jager to settle your stomach after every meal (breakfast included)?
ChiefHDB at 1:19PM on 10/17/07
Ahh, the Jagerbomb. I try to not let them cross my lips, but occasionally one or two slip past. Damn.
lo82070 at 1:54PM on 10/17/07
About Jager - uh, it's Jager that "sullied" itself years ago when its own marketers took the moribund German spirit, pushed it as shot-worthy on the University of Texas campus, and the rest is history. Plenty of vacation homes have been bought on the back of Jager's revised image (cue tears).
Sandro at 1:57PM on 10/17/07
Jager has been too closely associated with binge drinking for me... so for the digestif, I much prefer the Italian blends like Averna. Martini & Rossi used to make one known as China Martini, but I've only been able to find it in Italy... it's disappeared from my neck of the woods.
JessicaLHawkins at 2:03PM on 10/17/07
Bitters are becoming more & more popular it seems. We actually have a bar out here in Portland, OR where they are making their own, Teardrop Lounge if anyone is ever here. The hubbin turned me onto the beauty of Fernet Branca years ago after a big ole steak dinner, I've never had a big meal without a glass or 2 after since then. Granted he was a bartender in SF at the time.
Kim Nyland at 2:23PM on 10/17/07
I recently looked through a bunch of old Gourmet magazines from the 1970's - their pages are filled with ads for bitters - all with such an intense air of sophistication attached to the idea of drinking them. People on yachts with white suits and diamond tiaras, that sort of thing.
I like the flavor of Suze, but haven't had it in ages.
Karen Resta at 5:37PM on 10/17/07
Ah!, Nardini,Nardini,Nardini !!!
Be that pre or post prandial.
If it be pre- with soda water and lime or lemon, please.
dbloom2 at 8:24PM on 10/17/07
If you're from or visiting Washington Island, in Wisconsin, then it is quite common to take shots of Angosturra. Check it out: http://www.washingtonisland.com/nelsens/default.asp
dwagner at 8:44PM on 10/17/07
I think a little Angostura Bitters on the rocks is pretty tasty. Try it!
tservo at 1:56PM on 10/18/07
Lately I've been obsessed with Wine based Amaros and Quinquinas like Barolo Chinato.
These things are so cool, delicious, and complex, especially after dinner.
erik_flannestad at 3:46PM on 10/18/07