Cynar

Homemade Cynar-Style Artichoke Amaro

A home-kitchen interpretation of Italy's artichoke-leaf digestivo. Because the original's exact thirteen-plant blend is proprietary, this recipe uses a publicly documented combination of artichoke leaves, gentian, bitter orange peel and a few supporting botanicals macerated in neutral spirit and lightly sweetened - close in profile, not a clone.

Prep

30 min

Total

30 min

Serves

About 1.2 L (roughly 1.5 bottles)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) neutral beet or grain spirit, 50% ABV (100 proof), pure grain alcohol diluted to 50% is closest to industrial beet neutral; do not use flavoured vodka
• •300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water, filtered, plus the 40 ml for the syrup
• •60 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, to dissolve into the finished macerate
• •40 g (a large handful) dried artichoke leaves, Cynara scolymus, not the hearts; dried herbal-supply grade
• •4 g (1 tsp loosely packed) dried gentian root (Gentiana lutea), the principal bitter spine of most Italian amari. Keep to 4 g per 700 ml finished batch: gentian is pharmacologically active and more only adds bitterness, not flavour.
• •8 g (1 tbsp loosely packed) dried bitter orange peel, Seville or curaçao; the pith must be removed or the result turns harsh
• •4 g (2 tsp) dried sweet orange peel
• •3 g (1 tsp) dried rhubarb root, supports bitterness and body
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried cinchona bark, the quinine source; use sparingly and never more than 2 g
• •2 g (1 tsp) coriander seed, lightly crushed
• •2 g (1 tsp) fennel seed, lightly crushed
• •1 g (1/2 tsp) dried mint leaf
• •1 g (1/2 tsp) dried sage leaf
• •1 g (1/2 tsp) dried thyme leaf
• •1 g (1/2 tsp) star anise, broken
• •0.5 g (1/4 tsp) whole cloves
• •0.5 g (1/4 tsp) cinnamon bark (true cinnamon preferred)
• •1 g (1/2 tsp) caramel colour (E150a), optional, for the deep brown tint; optional, the flavour is unchanged without it

Steps

1. 1 Combine the 500 ml neutral spirit and 300 ml water in a 2 L wide-mouth glass jar with a tight lid. The 50% ABV base matches commercial maceration strength and extracts both water- and alcohol-soluble flavours from the botanicals.
2. 2 Weigh the gentian root and the cinchona bark on a small kitchen scale and use only 4 g of gentian and 2 g of cinchona for the whole batch. Both are pharmacologically active botanicals: cinchona is the source of quinine, and gentian and cinchona contain bitter alkaloids that are safe in the herbal-cordial amounts below but not in larger doses. Never scale this batch up, and never add a second round of bittering botanicals after the first maceration.
3. 3 Add all the dried artichoke leaves, gentian root, both orange peels, rhubarb root, cinchona, coriander, fennel, mint, sage, thyme, star anise, cloves and cinnamon to the jar. Stir well, seal, and label with the date.
4. 4 Macerate at cool room temperature (18-22 C / 64-72 F), out of direct sunlight, for 21 days. Shake the jar gently once a day for the first week, then every two or three days. Do not skip the gentian root: it carries the bitter backbone typical of Italian amaro; without it the drink tastes herbal-sweet, not amaro-like.
5. 5 Taste at day 21, but taste only a few drops from the jar, not repeated spoonfuls: you are checking bitterness, not drinking the macerate. If the bitterness feels mild, continue macerating up to 30 days total. If it is already very bitter, strain now - over-extraction makes the amaro medicinal.
6. 6 Strain the macerate first through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the solids to recover as much liquid as possible, then filter through a coffee filter or cloth-lined sieve into a clean jug. Discard the spent botanicals.
7. 7 Make a syrup by warming the 60 g sugar with 40 ml of the water just until dissolved; cool completely. Add the syrup to the filtered macerate a little at a time, tasting as you go, until the bitterness is balanced by a soft sweetness - you may not need all of it. Add the caramel colour now if using, stirring until evenly dispersed.
8. 8 Measure the ABV if you have a hydrometer; for a Cynar-like digestivo it should read roughly 32-35% ABV at this stage. Bottle in dark glass with a tight stopper and let the amaro rest for at least 2 weeks in a cool, dark place so the flavours marry; 4 weeks is better.
9. 9 Serve as the Italians do: neat at room temperature as a digestivo after a meal, over a single large ice cube with a wide strip of orange peel, or lengthened with chilled soda water and orange peel (Cynar Spritz: 1 part Cynar, 2 parts soda, lots of ice, orange peel). Store sealed bottles away from light; the amaro keeps indefinitely as the alcohol preserves it.
10. 10 Keep to one or two 30 to 40 ml servings: this is a bitter aperitivo, not a long drink, and both the cinchona and the gentian mean more is not better. Do not give it to children, and anyone who has been told by a doctor to avoid quinine, bitter tonics or alcohol should skip it. Note on the orange peel: scrub the outer skin, then pare off only the coloured zest with a vegetable peeler and discard the white pith before drying, because dried pith turns bitter-astringent rather than pleasantly bitter. If you are unsure of any botanical supplier or dose, make a smaller half batch first.