If gentian is amaro's skeleton, bitter orange peel is its face. Dried Seville-type peel carries both aromatic oils and a genuinely bitter pith, so it perfumes a maceration and bitters it at the same time. It appears in almost every recipe on the shelf, from Campari to Fernet-Branca.
Producers usually blend peels from several origins — Sicilian, Spanish, Haitian and Curaçao-style laraha all bring different ratios of sweet oil to bitter pith. That blend is one of the most closely guarded parts of any house recipe.
At the bar, bitter orange is why an expressed orange twist works on so many amaro drinks: it echoes what is already in the bottle.
What bitter orange tastes like
Bright citrus oil over a dry, pithy bitterness.
Behind the bar
- ✦Express an orange peel over any Negroni-family drink; it doubles the bottle's own citrus.
- ✦Bitter orange and vanilla are a classic pairing — try a bourbon base.
- ✦Dried peel bitters differently than fresh juice; the two are not interchangeable.
Amari made with bitter orange
Bottles from the Encyclopedia of Amaro that list it among their botanicals.
- Amaro 18 IsolabellaLombardy, Northern Italy · 30% ABV
- Amaro AbanoVeneto, Northern Italy · 35% ABV
- Amaro Alpino BordigaPiedmont, Northern Italy · 35% ABV
- Amaro AmaraSicily, Southern Italy · 30% ABV
- AmaricantePiedmont · 26%
- Amer PiconSold as Picon Bière and Picon Club in France · 18% ABV (originally 39%)
- Amaro AngelenoUnited States · 24%
- Antica Torino Amaro della SacraPiedmont · 30%
- AperolVeneto, Northern Italy · 11% ABV
- Amaro AvernaSicilia, Southern Italy · 29% ABV
- Averna Riserva Don SalvatoreSicily · 34% ABV
- Barolo ChinatoPiedmont, Northern Italy · 16–17% ABV (varies by producer)
Bitter Orange cocktails to make tonight
Recipes from the Cocktail Lab that use bitter orange.
- The Amaro Spritz2 oz Amaro Montenegro · 3 oz Prosecco · splash of soda · orange slice
- Black Manhattan2 oz Rye Whiskey · 1 oz Averna · 2 dashes Angostura · cherry
- Amaro Boulevardier1.5 oz Bourbon · 1 oz Cynar · 1 oz Sweet Vermouth · orange peel
- Hanky Panky1.5 oz Gin · 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth · 2 dashes Fernet-Branca · orange peel
- Toronto2 oz Rye Whiskey · ¼ oz Fernet-Branca · ¼ oz Simple Syrup · 2 dashes Angostura · orange peel
- Cynar Negroni1 oz Gin · 1 oz Cynar · 1 oz Sweet Vermouth · orange wheel
- Bitter Giuseppe2 oz Cynar · 1 oz Sweet Vermouth · ¼ oz Lemon Juice · 6 dashes Orange Bitters
- Old Pal1 oz Rye Whiskey · 1 oz Dry Vermouth · 1 oz Campari · Lemon Twist
- Mezcal Negroni1 oz Mezcal · 1 oz Campari · 1 oz Sweet Vermouth · Orange Peel
- Negroni Sbagliato1 oz Campari · 1 oz Sweet Vermouth · Prosecco · Orange Slice
- Americano1.5 oz Campari · 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth · Soda Water · Orange Slice
- Garibaldi1.5 oz Campari · 4 oz Fresh Orange Juice (fluffed) · Orange Slice
Bitter Orange: frequently asked questions
Why is bitter orange in so many amari?
It delivers aroma and bitterness in one ingredient, and its oils survive maceration and ageing better than most fresh citrus.
Can I use regular orange peel instead?
For a garnish, yes. For infusing, sweet orange peel lacks the pithy bitterness that gives amaro its backbone.