Amaro Di Cocco

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Cocktail History

The Amaro Di Cocco is a modern tiki cocktail that was created by Ryan Lotz at Shore Leave in Boston, Massachusetts. It is described as a cross between two classics, the Piña Colada and the Negroni, because it uses a rum base and pairs it with bitter Campari, vermouth, coconut, and pineapple.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with molasses or sugarcane juice, spices, and alcohol that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used J. Wray & Nephew Gold Jamaican Rum.

Campari: This is a liqueur made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, citrus, herbs, aromatic plants, fruit, and alcohol.

Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. I used Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth.

Black Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for the longest period of time of any rum. I used Gosling’s Black Seal 151 Proof Rum.

Coconut Cream: This is a thick cream made from coconut milk. I used Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut.

Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. I used fresh pineapple juice.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices. I used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.

Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple so the flesh can be cut. I used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. I used the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Alluring orange-red color

• Aroma: Noticeable vermouth, Campari, and pineapple

• Taste: Deep bittersweet vermouth and Campari flavor accented with rum, coconut, pineapple

• Finish: More bitterness and subtle rum spices

Kendall’s Take: “I’d heard this likened to the Jungle Bird, but to be honest, I didn’t remember exactly what that recipe tasted like because I’m not big on Campari and haven’t tried it since a tasting a couple years prior to trying the Amaro Di Cocco. I think that assessment is right on from what I recall though. I would say this one is a bridge to getting your palate used to the bitterness of Campari if you can’t quite drink a Jungle Bird yet. The bitterness is there but certainly not in the same way.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in the book Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.