Last month we went on a drinking bender in Manhattan. Stationed at The Ace Hotel, we began our journey with dinner at the newly opened ACME, which we’d heard was the city’s hottest new restaurant, and we weren’t disappointed by the atmosphere, the food, or the cocktails. Wanting more the next evening, we stumbled out after a yummy dinner at Momofuku Ssäm bar to the newly opened Booker And Dax, which had only been open to the public a few days. We had such fun watching blend chemistry and mixology with their hot poker, centrifuge and hand carbonated drinks, we were left wanting more on our last night in the city.
We headed to Amor y Amargo, the 15 seat bitters tasting room and general store from renowned mixologist Ravi DeRossi of Death & Co. and Mayahuel. Opened back in March of 2011, the intimate bitters lined bar packed a punch we didn’t quite see coming on our third and most drunken night in the city.
After sipping a few drinks at The Wren just a few blocks away, we were excited to try Mayur Subbarao’s in house sweet vermouth and Americano cocktail which are served draft and a bargain in the city at only $4 a glass. We started with their Bittermens Gin & Tonic from their house favourite section of the menu, which combined Gin, Bittermens Commonwealth Tonic Liqueur, Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters, and of course Maraschino. It was a nice light place to follow a gin-soaked afternoon, especially when paired with a light snack like their Tortilla Española and the Piada Flatbread Sandwich with Chorizo.
We got to chatting with the bartender, as we often do when we’re a few drinks deep and were invited to try the Americano cocktail and in house made sweet vermouth, as well as any of the bitters lining the bar, conveniently facing outward for our inspection. We decided we liked the in house sweet vermouth best after smelling and sampling, but since we couldn’t take any home, we decided to snag a bottle Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters to use at home.
We finished off the evening with a riff on a traditional Negroni which they made with a few drops of our beloved Bittermens Xocolatl Mole, as well as a Citron Collins from their Riffs on Classics section of the menu, prepared with Gin, Bittermens Citron Sauvage, club soda a subtle hint of cane syrup.
After all the drinks we had consumed that evening, we hit the ground running to dinner around the corner feeling quite boozy from the all the sipping and sampling. Even if you’re not a lover of bitters-based cocktails we think you should try Amor y Amargo for the intimate and inviting experience, and of course, be sure to take a sip of their sweet vermouth.
