There’s been a wave of popularity for drinks like the Aperol spritz, the Negroni, and a host of cocktails flavoured with “bitters”. Why are people turning their backs on sweet cocktails in favour of a bitter taste?

The last two decades have seen an extraordinary resurgence in cocktail-making on both sides of the Atlantic, with everything from Cointreau-sweetened Cosmopolitans to sugary Mojitos being drunk in vast quantities.

But there is now a definite trend towards bitter drinks. People are ordering whisky or gin-based drinks paired with vermouths. And there is growing interest in the US, UK and other European nations in Italian amari.