I love amaro, and I’m always open to trying new bottles beyond my usual go-tos. So when I spied Scarlet, a line of bitter liqueurs and amari by Iseya Distillery on the back bar at Vandell, a buzzy cocktail bar in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood, I was intrigued. They’re limited on space and not an amaro-centric bar, so they need to be super selective about their inventory. “We’ve made the decision to only carry Scarlet because we genuinely love it,” says Vandell co-owner Vay Su. They’re not the only ones: Tokyo Noir in Los Angeles, Billy Sunday in Chicago, and New York’s Amor y Amargo are all Scarlet fans as well.
Created by veteran bartender Tatsuya “Moto” Motonaga at Iseya Distillery in the Kanagawa prefecture, the liqueurs offer unique alternatives to Campari, green Chartreuse, Branca Menta, and Fernet. They also make peach, orange, and coffee amari.
But my personal favorite is the Scarlet Radice Amaro, which has been compared to French gentian liqueur Suze. With a base of 30 herbs and roots—such as angelica root, licorice, chicory, and wormwood—the yellow bitter liqueur is gorgeously complex. Its bright and earthy aromas with just a hint of floral and black tea notes would work beautifully in a White Negroni or a spritz. But right now, I’m enjoying it neat or with some club soda because I just want to savor its flavors. $69.96, astorwines.com
