When Elizabeth Falkner and Heather Freyer first met, they almost immediately started talking about their ideas on the future of ingredients and sustainability in things they loved in food and beverages and they got to work – the result is a brand that is reshaping the conventions of the amaro category, T’MARO. Before you start mixing with T’MARO, discover how these inspired flavors came together.
From a Conversation to a New Approach to Amaro
“We started talking about how we like the category of Amaro and we wanted to make an amaro for today’s palate and make it sweetened only with date. In California, we are the second largest region in the world growing dates in the desert from The Coachella Valley. We love the sun caramelized fruit and as a delicious sweetener.
“We worked on several formulations with different hand sourced botanicals and taste tested with friends, family and professionals and honed in on what we believe is a delicious amaro that after just a sip, takes you a journey all over California. From the desert to the Central Valley where all of our citrus grows to the coast and to the sierras. Other notes of artichoke, bay laurel and wild fennel. We love our T’MARO Amaro neat and in classic and modern cocktails. We’ve invented some new ones and we love seeing what other people are making with the amaro. It’s great just to flavor club soda or lemonade too.”
Discovery through the Process
While making the amaro, Elizabeth and Heather figured out how to make a date spirit and it was so good that they decided they needed to bottle it as well. In doing this, they focused on embracing the category of an Eau de Vie or brandy, resulting in a first of its kind product - made entirely of organic distilled dates. It may be hard to believe as you experience T’MARO, but there is absolutely nothing else added – still, the T’MARO Eau de Vie has notes of vanilla, pear and the dates.
But making the delicious Eau de Vie was only a starting point. Building from the success of this release, they asked, “why not make the best chocolate liqueur too?” So they combined the spirit with single origin cacao nibs from Dandelion-Chocolate, the best bean to bar chocolate maker – they’re also experts at sourcing the best cacao from regions around the world. They used Dandelion Chocolate’s Camino Verde-Ecuador in the first two batches of the T’MARO Cacao Nib Liqueur.
While it is an incredibly versatile release, Elizabeth and Heather have loved it in what they call a chocolate date shake, and in carajillos – consider making that into an espresso martini chocolate or mocha.
What’s in a Name?
T’MARO is based on the root word TAMAR, ancient for date and date palm and made for today and tomorrow. This beautifully combines with the spirit category AMARO, leading us to the final brand name that is a nod to both.
We make our labels out of upcycled palm fronds, keeping them from going to landfills. We believe the date palm is a resilient plant living in extreme desert climate and we wanted to show off its humble and prized fruits in a beautiful and innovative expression. So, the palm is celebrated from what’s inside the bottle to how it’s displayed.
The Tastemakers Behind the Brand (and Recipes)
Elizabeth Falkner is a world renowned and recognized chef who has been in the public eye since her early years in restaurants and in the media. She has worked in research and development, as a brand ambassador and consulted with multiple companies in food and beverage from start up to billion-dollar global brands. She has also produced an award-winning documentary available on streaming, “Sorry We’re Closed” 2023 and has appeared on over fifty food television programs over many years. She is on the board of trustees of the James Beard Foundation and chair of the awards committee.
Heather Freyer is a beverage-alcohol industry executive. She has worked with $300M+ annual operating plans for multi-billion-dollar companies including Bacardi USA, Trinchero Family Estates, Republic National Distributing, which included developing several brands over 1M cases annually.
Let’s Start Mixing
These recipes will offer you a wide range of ways to start exploring the profiles of the T’MARO releases. In order to do this, Elizabeth turned her kitchen into a cocktail laboratory to offer your ideas for the T’MARO Amaro, Eau de Vie, and Cacao Nib. There is also a section dedicated to No-Low ABV drinks – for whenever you want to take a little break.
Recipes for T’MARO Amaro
T’MARGARITA
The T’Margarita is a reimagined take on the classic margarita, featuring T’MARO Amaro for its bright and herbaceous depth. Blended with fresh lime, date simple syrup, T’MARO date spirit and blanco tequila, this cocktail balances bright citrus with the date-based sweetness of both T’MARO spirits for a soulful and refreshing twist finished with a sprig of rosemary.
1 oz. T’MARO Eau de Vie
1 oz. Quality blanco tequila
1 oz. T’MARO Amaro
¾ oz. Lime juice
½ oz. Date simple syrup 1:1
Preparation: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and serve up or on the rocks with a sprig of rosemary and blood orange wheel.
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CARPE FUTURA SPRITZ: TAKE 1
We wanted a better spritz cocktail with no artificial colors or flavors. This is pure refreshment featuring our T’MARO Amaro and only sweetened with date. The combination with yuzu and club soda to finish, make this an all natural and tasty low alcohol beverage.
1 oz. T’MARO Eau de Vie
1 oz. T’MARO Amaro
½ oz. St. Elizabeth Dram
1 bar spoon date syrup
¼ oz. Yuzuco yuzu juice
1 oz. Club soda
Garnish: A chunk of medjool date and shiso leaf
Preparation: Add all the ingredients into a wine glass, add the ice and mix. Garnish with a chunk of medjool date and shiso leaf.
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CARPE FUTURA SPRITZ: TAKE 2
Another great spritz cocktail featuring our T’MARO Amaro. Instead of date simple syrup, we added sour cherry syrup and finish it with Sicilian lemonade soda for another low alcohol fizzy beverage.
1 oz. T’MARO Eau de Vie
1 oz. T’MARO Amaro
½ oz. St. Elizabeth Dram
1 bar spoon Montmorency sour cherry syrup
¼ oz. Yuzuco yuzu juice
1 oz. Fever Tree Sicilian lemonade soda
Garnish: A chink of medjool date and dried cherry on a skewer
Preparation: Add all the ingredients into a wine glass, add the ice and mix. Garnish with a chink of medjool date and dried cherry on a skewer.
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T’MARO BLACK MANHATTAN
This riff on a black manhattan truly lets the profile of T’MARO shine through without overtaking your favorite rye or bourbon.
1 oz. T’MARO Amaro
1 oz. Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
1 Dash Orange Bitters
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Brandied Cherry Garnish
Preparation: Place all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled rocks glass with a large ice cube and garnish with brandied cherries.
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FUTURE DREAMS
The flavor of date works well with other fruits and spices and Elizabeth made up this delicious combination featuring the T’MARO Amaro. Sour cherry syrup and yuzu juice along with the spices from our Amaro and the other spirits make this the cocktail of your dreams in the very near future.
1 oz. T’MARO Amaro
1 oz. Boukman Haitian Spiced rum
½ oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 bar spoon Sour cherry syrup
½ oz. Yuzuco Yuzu super juice
Preparation: Stir ingredients together and pour over one large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a skewered chunk of Medjool date coated with microplaned zest of yuzu, orange or lemon.
Recipes for T’MARO Eau de Vie
DESERT CHIC DAQUIRI
T’MARO Eau de Vie is a beautiful stand alone spirit. It also works well with other spirits such as an aged rum here in this modern daiquiri. The date simple syrup gives the cocktail a deeper hue and smooth balance on the palate, transporting one to a poolside oasis in the desert. This is our new favorite daiquiri.
1 oz. T’MARO Eau de Vie
½ oz. Aged Rum
½ oz. date simple syrup 1:1
½ oz. Lime or half lime/half lemon juice, Meyer lemon juice or Yuzu juice
Preparation: Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and serve up in a chilled coupe glass.
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T’MARO DESERT MULE
Discover the true versatility of a mule by using Eau de Vie instead of your standard vodka – it will open you up to an entirely new world for this cocktail.
1 ½ oz. T’MARO Eau de Vie
¼ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
4 oz. Ginger Beer
Garnish with Rosemary Sprig
Preparation: Fill a tall glass with ice, add lime juice, EdV, and top Ginger Beer, add garnish.
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SHANGRAI-LA
Vibrant and refreshing – discover all that the T’Maro Eau de Vie has to offer in this simple cocktail concept.
2 oz. Shaved Ice
1 oz. T’Maro Eau de Vie
1 Caviar Bump (Calvisius is preferred)
Preparation: Fill a chilled coupe glass with shaved ice. Pour over the Eau de Vie and serve with a spoonful of caviar.
Recipes for T’MARO Cacao Nib
MOCHA CARAJILLO
Keep it simple and make it mocha with T’MARO Cacao Nib and coffee. Great for a relaxing pick me up cocktail.
2 oz. T’MARO Cacao Nib Liqueur
2 oz. freshly brewed Equator Coffee
Preparation: Pour all ingredients into a shaker full of ice and seal it. Shake it for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe or a short rocks glass filled with a chunk of smashed or chiseled ice. Garnish with two espresso beans or cacao nibs and orange peel.
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T’MARO CHOCOLATE MARTINI
With just the right level of sweetness, this cocktail is perfect for any chocolate lover.
1 oz. T’MARO Cacao nib Liqueur
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Half and half or cream
Preparation: Add ice to a shaker, add the ingredients, shake, strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings or cocoa nibs.
No-Low ABV Options
T’MARO CLUB
This is our favorite way to make a delicious flavored water.
1 teaspoon T’MARO Amaro
6-8 oz. of Club Soda
Preparation: Fill highball glass with ice. Add T’MARO Amaro, fill glass with club soda, garnish with lemon, orange or blood orange wheel.
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T’MARO PALMER
Break out of the basics by adding T’MARO into this classic. It’s a real hole in one.
1-2 teaspoons T’MARO Amaro
4 oz. brewed black tea
4 oz. lemonade
Preparation: Fill a tall glass with ice. Add T’MARO Amaro, black tea and lemonade. Garnish with lemon or mint sprig.
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T’MARO CHERRY POP
It’s effervescent and full of flavor – our amaro is beautifully complimented by the tartness of the cherry juice and the bite of the ginger beer.
2 teaspoons T’MARO Amaro
4 oz. Tart Cherry Juice
4 oz. Ginger Beer
Preparation: Fill a tall glass with ice. Add T’MARO Amaro, cherry juice, and ginger beer and garnish with a cherry.
In Closing
T’MARO is cleverly expanding what you thought you knew about Amaro to expand the depths of flavors that you can introduce to some of your favorite cocktails. Once you have mastered these cocktails, get creative and start experimenting with the T’MARO releases in some of your favorite classics as well. The possibilities are truly endless.
