Monks’ Bitter Brew Becomes Trendy Amaro Cocktails: John Mariani

I had just sat down at a restaurant named Caval d’Brons, set above Turin’s Piazza San Carlo, and ordered Piedmontese specialties like tiny meat-stuffed ravioli called plin, with a butter and sage sauce, and vitello tonnato, made with slices of veal in a creamy tuna sauce.

But first I was presented with a little appetite starter -- a rosy slice of culatello ham, a taste of Castelmagno cheese drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and a small glass of the Italian cordial called amaro.