Your Local Leaves, Bark, and Flowers Can Be Turned Into Amaro

The first time Chris Bower tried amaro, he tasted something familiar. The complex, herbaceous flavors, made famous in Italy, reminded him of the folk remedies that he grew up making with his grandparents in rural Haywood County, North Carolina. In this part of Appalachia, wild local plants like ginseng and goldenseal were prized as ways to reduce inflammation and ease respiratory illnesses, since other sources of medicine were often in short supply. “I’m all for modern medicine, but I don’t see it as an either/or. It can be a both/and,” says Bower. So when he was introduced to the world of amaro, he had a revelation. “I was like, ‘holy crap!’ This is what we do, but they just add sugar, commercialize it, and celebrate it.”

Using the barks, roots, flowers, and stems of over 70 local plants, Bower began distilling fernet (a bitter amaro) in his Asheville, North Carolina, home. Thanks to the time he’d spent harvesting with his family, Bower could quickly identify which plants were edible and flavorful. “That was the start,” he says.

In 2016, Bower connected with Rett Murphy, an organic vegetable farmer with his own distilling vision. Murphy aimed to make whiskey from Seashore Black, a rare rye grain that was once ubiquitous in the South. The two men started chatting about creating spirits that celebrated their region’s terroir, an area riddled with dogwood, rhododendron, and azaleas. “He made an offhand comment like, ‘Maybe we could make something weird like a fernet,’” Bower remembers. “And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, you’ve never tasted my fernet.’”

In 2018, Bower and Murphy opened Eda Rhyne, a small Asheville-based distillery with a tasting room where visitors can sample 10 different spirits, including gin, vodka, a very limited run of Seashore Black-based rye whiskey, and three unique amari. There’s Amaro Oscura, a piney, chicory-laced bitter liqueur made from smoked rhubarb; Amaro Flora, meant to reflect Appalachian springtime with notes of gentian, rose hip, and wild angelica; and, of course, the Appalachian Fernet. Eda Rhyne’s fernet is unlike any other: It’s earthy, slightly smoky, and tinged with wild mint, sassafras, and sumac. “We want our stuff to reflect our region and be distinct,” Bower says. “We’re not just trying to come up with another Campari. It’s more about using the plants that we have to create distinct spirits that express where we’re from and our taste.”

More terroir-driven American amari

Fernet Francisco Manzanilla

This Bay Area amaro is punchy and fruit-forward, containing bay leaves, chamomile, orange peel, and, the cofounders claim, “a holy wisp of fresh fog.”

To buy: $40 at kegnbottle.com

 Ventura Spirits Amaro Angeleno

A bright, citrusy bitter liqueur reflective of Southern California’s sunshine and bountiful produce, Amaro Angeleno is modeled in the style of Campari, but with a hit of Valencia orange peel and a subtle floral finish.

To buy: $35 at venturaspirits.com

Breckenridge Distillery Breckenridge Bitter

Thanks to hand-harvested alpine herbs and bark, Breckenridge Bitter has a mild, grapefruit-fueled bite and a lingering vanilla and cinnamon finish.

To buy: $29 at breckenridgedistillery.com

High Wire Southern Amaro Liqueur

Focused on using the regional bounty around Charleston, this amaro features black tea, Dancy tangerines, yaupon holly, mint, and licorice root.

To buy: $37 at drizly.com

Fernet Leopold Highland Amaro

Three different kinds of mint make the base note of this bracingly bitter aperitivo, joined by honeysuckle, rose, and lavender.

To buy: $37 on wine.com

Townshend's Pacific Northwest Fernet

Willamette hops, birch bark, Douglas Fir, and other signature botanicals of the Pacific Northwest make this fernet uniquely reflective of its home. Unlike most amari, which start with a neutral grain spirit, the base for this liqueur is a distillate made from kombucha.

To buy: $35 on seelbachs.com

Bully Boy Amaro

Four kinds of hops — galaxy, citra, amarillo, and cascade — join orange blossom and orange peel in this balanced bitter liqueur.

To buy: $34 on buly-boy-distillers.myshopify.com