The Bar Journal

Just the word ʻbitterʼ has decidedly negative connotations; it tells of an unpleasant experience, a lingering memory and a bad feeling. There are many popular sayings in Italian and English that attest to the negative taste & feelings of bitterness: for example, “restare con lʼamaro in bocca” (to leave a bitter taste in your mouth).
As an adjective ʻbitterʼ has three meanings:

1. having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet
2. angry, hurt or resentful
3. harsh or unpleasant.

How can something good come out of this bitterness? Why would anyone want to knowingly and happily consume something bitter whether in the form of a digestivo or a pint of beer?

Bitter is one of the five basic tastes and it is often given a bad rap–for a good reason. Foods that have a combination of sugar and fat are universally preferred, whereas anything with a bitter taste is widely disliked. In many ways we are hardwired to like sweet, which usually denotes a rich source of calories, and we abhor anything bitter because this is generally a sign toxicity. Plant-derived alkaloids and glycosides and other environmental toxins tend to have a bitter taste. It seems logical that being able to identify and reject bitter compounds might, therefore, have a certain evolutionary advantage (Drewnowski, 1997).

If we are predisposed to have a strong dislike and even a rejection for anything bitter, how did bitter drinks develop? Bitterness has long been associated with medicine that apothecaries and later pharmacists would concoct using the extracts from bitter-tasting plants. These herbal extractions were often created by infusing strong alcohol with the plants. These bitter drinks, digestivi, exist in all areas of Italy. Many of these drinks have been made for centuries in private homes and generally include herbs that can be found locally.

SALUTE!
GIUSEPPE GALLO