When My family and I visited Italy last summer, one of the most distinctive differences when we dined out was what I am calling the linger factor. going "out to eat" was more than just that. There was an aperitivo before dinner accompanied by salty snacks such as peanuts and olives...Then a wonderful 3 course dinner...and then back to the bar for a digestivo such as Averna or Amari accompanied by great conversation and the potential for meeting new friends. By the time we left our stomachs and our minds were satisfied and relaxed. Sleep came swiftly and naturally. Each time was an experience in italian culture.
My newly expanded bar and lounge area will hopefully foster an interest from our guests to linger after dinner and experience a night out in the Italian way.
If words like Aperativo, Digestivo, Averna and Amari are a bit intriging...PLEASE continue reading. The following is the second part of Brother Cleves Blog (our Mixologist)
He is responsible for the cocktails we are serving at our "Spirit Dinner" on May 6th.
There are spaces still available. info at www.rovezzis.com
II. Meet The Amari Family (La Famiglia Amari)
My interest in the variety of liquors produced around the world began in the mid-1980's, when I began touring globally as a musician. It was during my second tour of Italy, with The Del Fuegos, that I got exposed to the intriguing world of Amari, a two hundred year old tradition of macerating varying combinations of herbs, spices, flowers, citrus peels and tree bark (mostly cinchona, which produces quinine) in a neutral grain spirit.
Our band was scheduled to perform at a music festival in a small town outside of Milan, and the show promoter took us to a leisurely lunch that afternoon. At the end of the meal, the waiter served everyone small glasses filled with a golden brown liquid. I took a sip and was wowed! It was unlike anything I'd ever had before. I asked our host - "what the hell is this stuff? And can I get a refill?" (I did). "Trocchi", he answered. I made a note of this, as I knew I needed to have this around the house.
Upon returning to Boston, I searched my local liquor stores to find it. No one knew what I was talking about. I trekked into the North End, Boston's "Little Italy". Here they knew what an amarowas, but once again, no one had heard of Trocchi.It took me 30 years, but I finally found the equivalent in the lighter-bodied amari, made by producers Meletti and Nonino. I realize now that Trocchiwas a locally produced amaro, perhaps made in the town where we were performing (or even at the restaurant itself).
That experience made me curious about the all odd looking bottles I found in North End restaurants and liquor shops. I tried out as many as I could find, but back in the pre-Internet age there was very little available information about these products. Subsequent travels through Italy furthered my enlightenment.
Fortunately, finding information about anything is much simpler now. In today's cocktail lounges, there is increased awareness ...and enjoyment!... of once obscure libations, abetted by the revival of the classic cocktail. As a result, more intriguing foreign brands are being imported than ever before.
For more about Amari, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
NEXT: La procreazione di Cocktails
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