If you couldn't already tell by the self-indulgent tone and frequent snarky ramblings of these emails... I write them late Thursday night, and I'm almost ALWAYS drinking while I write them.
I have decided that I owe my customers and devoted readership a bit more from these weekly emails than a snapshot of the free tastings the weekend will bring, a list of new items and a bit of news about the store. That's why, from now on, I will use this block to invite YOU, gentle reader, into my basement with me as I write. Here I will offer a glimpse into my odd little world. Come enjoy an round with me! (Free Of Charge!)
Tonight's libation:
Ramazzotti Amaro
30% alc./vol.
Tonight, I had dinner at my parents' house. Actually, I had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. My Grandmother LOVES Thanksgiving, and today was her birthday, so that's what we ate. I wish my Grandmother had birthdays every month, or that the damned Pilgrims had hopped back on the Mayflower and made a few more trips to various rocks in New England, because I LOVE Thanksgiving, but I digress. Dinner was great and I got to eat an absurd amount of stuffing and cranberry sauce & then a piece of German Chaocolate Cake the size of a carwash sponge for dessert (I don't think the last part was served at the First Thanksgiving, but who am I to turn down German Chocolate Cake?).
Anyway... as I procrastinated writing this email, I got the sense that something else was procrastinating. Specifically, my stomach. Yes, shockingly, all that terrifically healthy food seemed to be stalled in by belly. No matter, I thought! Ever the resourceful drinker, I reached for a bottle of Ramazzotti. You see, Ramazzotti, like all Amaro, is a type of bitters, and bitter drinks stimulate digestion.
"Why is that, Tim?" you may ask.
Historically, bitter things (bitter things found in nature, that is) were bad for us. Poisonous plants and animals developed bitter leaves, fruits and bark to tell would-be predators to stay away. Bitter taste is picked up by receptors all the way at the back of your tongue.
Go on - take a look. I'll wait.
See? They're all back there sulking and acting jealous of the sweet taste buds.
This kinda makes sense, though, as the "bitter" taste is our bodies' last chance to tell us to get whatever bad stuff is in our mouth OUT! Just in case this doesn't work, when the bitter zone is stimulated, our tongue tells our mouth to increase salivation, which then causes stomach acid production to increase, thus prioritizing (or rather expediting) digestion of whichever offending food is making its way into the stomach. A lack of stomach acid causes food to putrify or decay naturally. What we want to happen (especially in the case of harmful foods) is for them to be broken down quickly!
Enter: bitters as a digestive aid. When consumed after a meal, bitter drinks, or digestivo or digestif liqueurs (and even bitters themselves, such as Angostura or Peychaud's bitters) fulfill their ancient role in speeding digestion. Drink a glass of Ramazzotti (or any) Amaro, now no longer poisonous and (happily) sweetened a bit, on the rocks, or with club soda and perhaps a twist of citrus. Soon that full-stomach gotta take a nap and watch some football feeling will be a distant memory. Unpleasant gas or bloating? Signifigantly reduced. The double-chin (pictured above) as a result of years of too many return trips to the gravy and stuffing bowls? Not even bitters can help you there.
