Americans hate to be bitter. At least it can seem that way when it comes to what people in this country like to eat and drink. But to Europeans, and perhaps above all to Italians, bitterness, or amaro, is a revered and essential part of their cultural and culinary heritage - the sharp, stinging yang to the sweet yin of amore.

The Italians quite literally distilled that bitterness into liquid form. Italian amari - part of the broader digestivo category of spirits - are traditional drinks with a long and almost mythical history steeped in the Europe-Asia spice trade, herbalist monks and local foragers.

In Italy, amari are typically consumed while standing at a bar, or after dinner when a bottle of the house's preferred amaro is set on the table once the plates are cleared. Some brands, like Fernet-Branca, Ramazzotti and Averna, have even become national names in Italy, available at bars and trattorias up and down the Italian peninsula.

Each amaro is brewed to a unique proprietary (and often secret) recipe that varies according to regional traditions and ingredients. At their base is a mix of herbs, roots, flowers and other ingredients (everything from artichokes to orange peel) all left to macerate in a neutral spirit before being distilled. It is not unlike the process for making tea - or, perhaps more appropriately, gin, although the presence of the so-called botanicals is much more evident. A caramel coloring is added to give amari their characteristic golden-to-coffee-brown color. That contrasts with cocktail bitters, in which herbs and other ingredients are steeped and then sometimes diluted, but don't receive an additional distillation.

Cult of amari

Outside of Italian immigrant communities in cities like San Francisco, Boston and New York, amari were relatively unknown in the United States until recently.

Then came the cult of Fernet-Branca, which was first picked up appreciably by San Francisco's service industry and soon spread to other cities. The rise of Fernet-Branca, a particularly pungent and extreme version of amaro, is well documented (the drink even plays a starring role in James Hamilton-Paterson's 2005 novel "Cooking With Fernet Branca").

But Fernet was in many ways a gateway drink, leading some of its proponents - like Greg Lindgren of San Francisco's bars Rye and Rosewood - down the path of the dark and bitter. So much, in fact, that amari are no longer considered obscure. They hold valuable shelf space at bars in San Francisco and New York, and have been featured at trendy restaurants in Portland, Ore., and Los Angeles. Amari have even shown up on blind tests offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Lindgren is a self-described "Amaro hunter." His fascination with amari first took hold while hitching along with his wife, Shelley Lindgren, the wine director and a partner at San Francisco's A16 and SPQR, to Italy's myriad wine regions. "There are a quite a few people who are amaro foragers," he says in reference to the new generation of American bartenders and cocktailians. "Every time I go, I pick up a few bottles to bring back in my suitcase."

He's particularly fond of Amaro Sibilla, a recent find from the central Italian region of the Marche, located on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. Amaro Sibilla, which is made by the Muccia-based Varnelli distillery, is, in addition to being made with the usual array of herbs and roots, sweetened with honey from the Sibillini Mountains. As an amaro, it's a far cry from Fernet-Branca, possessing a gentle and supple texture, as well as an engaging floral quality.

Bitter pursuit

Unfortunately for Lindgren, whose flask-size bottle of the stuff has nearly run out, Amaro Sibilla isn't yet officially imported into the United States. He'll soon need to make another trip, or find another amaro that fits the qualities he typically looks for. "When I find one that has the ideal sweet-bitter balance," he says, "I generally like it."

At least several dozen amari are produced commercially in Italy and still more are made throughout Europe. Other amaro-producing countries include Hungary (Zwack Unicum), the Czech Republic (Rudolf Jelinek) and Serbia (Gorki List), to name a few. And although purists might scoff at the suggestion, Germany's Jägermeister is perhaps the most famous amaro known to Americans. Jägermeister - and to a certain extent Fernet-Branca - are exceptions. Amaro brands that seek to enter the American market face an uphill battle for wider acceptance in a country that has no strong amaro tradition.

Lindgren links the history of amari with the early spice and tea trades. Italian merchants, he says, encountered any number of foods and spices along the trading routes to the Near and Far East, bringing many of their finds back with them. Herbalists and monks, he believes, were among the early adapters of the new exotic herbs, making tinctures and tonics that were believed beneficial to one's health.

"The idea of herbology - I think it's got to have started with the Chinese," he says. As amari became commercialized in the 19th century, many producers were referred to directly as herbalists or pharmacists on the labels of their bottles.

"Look at the ingredients. All of these bottles have ingredients that aren't indigenous to Europe." Instead, he says, they're a blend of local herbs with exotics like saffron and ginger.

Regional flavors

It's the blending of these ingredients, plus whatever else has been traditionally added, that's come to define the regional distinctions in amari. There's the mountain honey used in Amaro Sibilla; Amaro Braulio, from Bormio in the Alpine region of Valtellina, relies upon a blend of Alpine herbs and flowers to create a distinct pine forest flavor; Averna, one of the most successful amari in Italy, comes from Sicily, where the addition of orange and lemon peels imparts a warm citrus character.

According to Eric Seed, an importer of esoteric spirits at Haus Alpenz, the infamous wormwood (which is in absinthe) was also once a major ingredient in old-style amari. "To producers of amaro, when you mention wormwood and thujone, these are thought of as powerful aromatics," he says.

Seed hopes to begin distributing Gorki List (literally, "the bitter leaf"), a traditional amaro from Serbia that's still made with wormwood, later this year. While Gorki List clearly isn't Italian, Seed believes that the drink itself is emblematic of the amari produced in both Italy and central Europe in the 19th century.

The heart of amaro tradition may lie in Europe, but distillers increasingly view the United States as an untapped market.

The popular Sicilian amaro Averna in particular is targeting both the domestic and international markets. "The Italian market for alcohol is very traditional and conservative," says Michel Jordens, the export director for Averna. The implication is that despite its popularity, Averna, like other amari, will remain a digestivo in Italy.

By contrast, the United States is where the company hopes to grow the brand. The American market, according to Jordens, is receptive to a new take on an old-school beverage, promoting its use in avant-garde cocktails. Averna reported only modest growth during the past four years, says Jordens, but after changing the company approach it saw "significantly better growth, on average 20 percent."

Rather than pursue a similar place in the cult beverage pantheon as Fernet-Branca, Averna, through its American importer Domaine Select Wine Estates, hired San Francisco mixologist Duggan McDonnell to serve as a sort of brand ambassador charged with designing a series of cocktails based on the drink. "Amaros allow for vibrant mixology because of the already complex ingredients in them," he says.

One such drink, the Vertigo, is loosely based on a Dark and Stormy, with muddled Meyer lemon, ginger beer and Averna. The key to making a cocktail from an amaro, McDonnell says, is to build the drink based on the flavors already present. "Citrus, ginger, spice ... think Sicily and North Africa. These are the ingredients that should be in there."

Amaro in cocktails

Averna, of course, isn't the only amaro that's cocktail-friendly, and in the hands of a good bartender, even the toughest, most bitter amaro can be made into a palatable beverage. (Even Cynar, an artichoke-flavored amaro made by the Milan-based Campari Group, is a popular base for amaro cocktails.) From Friuli in the Italian northeast comes Nonino, which, with flavors of licorice and caramel feels rather luxurious for an amaro. The Nonino Family, producers of artisan grappa, use Ue, a proprietary aquavit made from distilled whole grape clusters, as the base spirit for their amaro. The result is a complex spirit that McDonnell, at his San Francisco bar Cantina, likes to mix with ginger beer, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and mint to make a drink he calls the mojito Italiano. Talk about cultural fusion.

Winning over Americans

Jordens, Averna's export director, says that where the traditional digestivo moment is an integral part of a meal in Italy, that just isn't the case in the United States. Rather than settle the stomach, Americans like to tease their palates.

That idea, however, could be slowly evolving in the other direction.

At Mozza, the new Los Angeles venture from Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich and Nancy Silverton, wine director Jared Heber works with an extensive amaro program. He treats amaro much like wine when it comes to educating the service staff at Mozza, rotating different amari brands through staff training on an almost weekly basis.

The program has been largely successful, with amari a featured part of the dining experience. Heber often lets diners taste an amaro first, mostly because he feels the dark and bitter liquor can be difficult to explain.

"It's not for everybody," he says. "But almost every night we have a few lightbulbs going off." Customer excitement can be contagious; Mozza quickly developed a reputation for its amaro selection. "We even have people who come in after dinner at other restaurants just to have an amaro at the bar."

For his part, Bastianich is also developing an amaro brand in Italy. "It's a Friulian-based project using local herbs and flavors, loosely called Amaro di Trieste," says the restaurateur. A release date is not yet scheduled.

While not a sea change in tastes, bitter flavors do seem to be catching on with the broader public - especially in the Bay Area. McDonnell calls San Francisco a "palate-evolved" city. "All of the bartenders who are making cocktails with amari are pushing their customers away from the sweet," notes Greg Lindgren.

In a move that could cement San Francisco's reputation as the American amaro capital, Lindgren has been trying to make his own amaro for a few years. He believes that in theory at least, it's possible to make a San Francisco Bay amaro, blending more exotic ingredients with locally foraged wild herbs and flowers. It's idea that somehow feels completely natural in the Bay Area's vibrant food scene.

The idea, he says, originated with Arne Hillesland, the technical director at Distillery No. 209 down at Pier 50. "It started with a group of us making shakable bitters, like Angostura or Peychaud," he says. After learning the process, he started to try and "crack the code" of the proprietary recipes that exist for amari. As with tea, he says, the hard part is being careful not to oversteep whatever ingredients are being used to flavor the amaro.

Considering that many Italians believe amari to be the staid drinks of an older generation, the level of passion and commitment, and even outright obsession with them in this country, is astonishing. Between the bar scene and an emerging amaro tradition in U.S. restaurants, American amari lovers really have nothing to be bitter about.

Tasting notes

There are countless amari produced in Italy. Here's a short list of some of the bigger brands currently available in the United States:

Amaro Nonino ($42) A lighter style of amaro made in Friuli at the Nonino distillery. Its flavors are warm, with a gentle spiciness and smooth texture. The spice character lingers on the finish, proof that Nonino is one of the more elegant amari on the market.

Amaro Averna ($35) A sophisticated and complex amaro that hails from Sicily. The addition of blood orange and lemon peels to the aromatic herbs used to make this amaro adds a bright and refreshing character. Averna is widely considered to be one of the most versatile Italian amari.

Cynar ($22) The earthy flavors in this herbal amaro are enhanced by the flavors of the artichokes used in its production. Cynar also has a relatively low alcohol level (16.5 percent), making it a popular amaro for cocktails, as well as a style of amaro that's enjoyable as an aperitivo.

Fernet-Branca ($30) A pungent and black drink made in Milan and considered by many to be the benchmark Italian amaro. Flavors of anise and saffron add complexity to this forceful drink.

Amaro Santa Maria al Monte ($38) This shows an engaging herbal complexity that recalls fresh basil and spearmint. Its strength and power are similar to Fernet-Branca, while the vibrant finish feels spicy and rich.

Amaro Ramazzotti ($24) One of the more popular Italian amaro brands, Ramazzotti is made in Milan. The balance between bitter and sweet in this aromatic amaro feels almost seamless, while the snappy flavor of fresh ginger lingers on the finish.

A bitter pastime

Italian amari have plenty flavor on their own, a mix of heady aromatics and a pungent, forceful palate. Contemporary cocktails notwithstanding, the traditional way to drink an amaro is neat in a highball or shot glass. The drinks are sometimes served with ice, which helps to tame the astringency, and a wedge of lemon to add brightness in flavor and aroma. In Sicily and parts of central and Southern Italy, it's not uncommon to keep a bottle of amaro in the freezer. While this accomplishes much the same purpose as an ice cube, it does change the texture of the drink - pushing it toward syrup, with dull aromatics.

An amaro is traditionally enjoyed after a meal, as a digestivo to settle the stomach and linger a little longer at the table. Many San Francisco restaurants stock a small selection of amari, and if there isn't a list of what's available, ask at the bar. Beyond Fernet-Branca, you're likely to find Averna, Cynar and Nonino.