Cynar is a liquor made from... artichoke (and other herbs)! It is pronounced CHEE-nawr, and the name comes from Cynara Scolymus, the scientific name of the artichoke.

It is made from infused artichoke leaves and spirits, which gives it an alcohol content of 16.5, and a fairly bitter taste. It can be drunk either as aperitive, on ice, or after diner, straight. I have also seen it drunk hot, steamed with the capuccino machine.

Cynar was quite popular in the 60s, the TV commercials for it were quite famous, but not too many Italians seem to drink it these days. The Campari Cynar page (must be of legal drinking age to view!), describes it as "a parentheses of tranquillity in a frantic world that is everyday life".

I am not really into bitter drinks, so I can't say I really liked Cynar. Its taste is not as weird as you might imagine though, very close to other bitter Italian liquors like Campari.

posted by michel, 2005-10-01