When I took a teaching job in Italy years ago, I learned right quick to eat long, wonderful, late-night dinners that left one happy—but sometimes uncomfortably full. Fortunately, the Italians have a cure: amaro (plural is “amari”), meaning “bitter.” These digestives, which were originally wine-based but are now often made with neutral spirits, bring together…

While it’s certain this cocktail came from New York’s most famous borough—as opposed to the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, or Staten Island cocktails—there are varying specifics. Creation credit often goes to Dr. Iain Marshall, who, in 1874, allegedly mixed one up on behalf of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden at a party at the Manhattan Club…