AMARO: A Bittersweet Anniversary
"Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal, I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel."
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A Bittersweet Adventure
It was six years ago today, on October 11, 2016, that my second book, Amaro, was published by Ten Speed Press. Despite its less than stellar sales, most of my peers say Last Call is my best book, and one of their favorites (it was a James Beard Award finalist and won a Spirited Award from Tales of the Cocktail). With over 110,000 copies in print, my first book, Bitters, remains my top-selling book overall but, week to week, Amaro, now in its eighth printing, continues to sell the most of all my books. And while Last Call is an achievement that nearly ruined me, spiritually and physically, Amaro holds a special place in my heart as, perhaps, my personal favorite in the BTP Library; it’s one I can pick up and generally not cringe or only see the flaws.
But no one ever told me an author should have the idea for their next book locked down before finishing the one they’re working on. In the late spring of 2011, about six months before the publication of Bitters, I was walking the floor of the Javits Center at Book Expo with my then agent when he asked, “So, what’s next?” When I said I wanted to write about amaro he paused, looked a little worried, and said, “Brad, don’t you think bitters is esoteric enough? No one knows what amaro is.” Thankfully Bitters came out of the gate strong and promoting my debut book kept me too busy to even think about taking on a new book.
I later signed with a new agent, David Black, and was working on a proposal for a different topic all together. My editor Emily Timberlake let me know that another writer she worked with had brought up the idea of an amaro book and she wanted to make sure I had indeed moved on. I was on a train to Philadelphia with my agent and told him I wanted to toss the proposal I had been working on and instead focus on Amaro. He said I had the 90-minute trip to convince him. I went into pitch mode as he played devil’s advocate on every point. Being in the quiet car didn’t help matters. As we pulled into the 30th Street Station he said, “OK, BTP. Let’s do it.” I called Emily and promised a proposal soon, which we sent to Ten Speed Press in December 2013.
It took three years to research, photograph, and write Amaro and it truly bonded my creative partnership with the very talented photographer Ed Anderson. We traveled throughout Italy and shot at bars and restaurants stateside in New York (Dante, Amor y Amargo, Frankies 457 Spuntino, Prime Meats, Dante, Maialino, PDT, Grand Army, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Booker & Dax, Fort Defiance) Chicago (Billy Sunday, The Publican, Parson’s Chicken & Fish, Sportsman’s Club, The Milk Room, GreenRiver), and Seattle (Barnacle, Rob Roy, Palace Kitchen, Essex, Damn the Weather). We’ve never worked in a studio and rarely use any gear other than a foldable reflector and a tripod, preferring to shoot the featured cocktails in the wild.