Amante 1530, a new Italian Amaro aperitivo, has launched in the United States and Italy. The idea took root nearly two years ago, when Sting and Trudie Styler joined friends Ana Rosenstein, Richard Kirshenbaum, and Barry Rosenstein at the couple’s Tuscan estate, Il Palagio, where they discussed creating a modern Amaro that they could enjoy together. They recruited Len Tessler, Stuart Ellman, Sarah Foley, Mark Hauser, and Michael Kassan to round out the founding team of what would soon be known as Amante 1530.
The name’s origin can be traced to Il Palagio. When a guest took a deck of tarot cards off the shelf and pulled the lover card, the founders read it as a sign, branding their new innovation Amante, the Italian word for lover. They then added 1530 as an ode to the founding date of its birthplace.
“From the liquid to the intricate and thoughtful bottle design, Amante 1530 was designed among friends seeking to create an authentic, versatile Italian aperitivo that breaks boundaries,” explains Rosenstein, CEO of Amante 1530. “To do so, we developed a complex and perfectly balanced flavor profile that can be consumed in a spritz, cocktail, neat or on the rocks. The name captures the essence of what we try to distill – an Amaro to be celebrated and imbibed amongst friends and lovers.”
To create the product, the founders partnered with oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, known for his work with Il Palagio. Once the recipe was perfected, the final liquid was bottled at the Pallini Distillery, one of Rome’s oldest.
“Over the last 50 years we have seen significant growth in the Amaro category, but little to no variation in it,” said Kirshenbaum, the CEO of NSG/SWAT, a high-profile boutique branding agency. “This presented a unique opportunity to create an innovative twist on an Italian classic. After years of taste-testing we eventually created a liquid that differs from every other amaro on the market and cannot be duplicated.”
Amante 1530 offers aromas of candied orange, oolong tea, ginger, honeysuckle, and baked apples, alongside an underlying sweetness that is balanced by a vegetal bitterness. The palate finds notes of acidity giving way to layers of citrus that evolve over time.
Bottled at 15% ABV, Amante 1530 is available at select retailers, bars and restaurants in New York for $34.99, and will be available in California and Florida soon. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.