Amor y Amargo opened in 2011 with an unusual thesis: a cocktail bar that uses only stirred drinks and never citrus. Bitters are the centerpiece. The 12-seat space on East 6th Street stocks over 100 amari, vermouths, and bitters, and the cocktail menu is built entirely around them.
The drinks lean Italian and slightly bitter. The Negroni programme runs to 12 versions. The Black Bart — Black Bart bitters, mezcal, Cherry Heering — is a signature. The bar functions as a pre-dinner stop or a quiet conversational evening rather than a full cocktail destination.
The crowd is mid-thirties cocktail enthusiasts and bitters nerds. Pair with Death and Co a few blocks east for a complete East Village cocktail evening.