Amante 1530, a new Italian Amaro aperitivo, has launched in the U.S. and Italy.
This twist on a classic Italian Amaro started as an idea among friends. Nearly two years ago, Sting and Trudie Styler joined friends Ana Rosenstein, Richard Kirshenbaum and Barry Rosenstein at the couple’s Tuscan estate, Il Palagio, where they discussed the idea of creating a modern Amaro, the company says. 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 where it all began: 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 creation Amante, the Italian word for lover, the company says. 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,” says 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 and produce the product, the founders partnered with oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, a veteran of the Italian wine industry, including on Sting & Trudie’s estate wines for Il Palagio. Once the recipe was dialed in, the final liquid was bottled at the Pallini Distillery.
“Over the last 50 years we have seen significant growth in the Amaro category, but little to no variation in it,” says 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 is light upon entry, but unfolds across the palate with medium-bodied weight and presence, the company reports. With aromas of candied orange, oolong tea, ginger, honeysuckle and baked apples, it possesses an underlying sweetness that is balanced by a vegetal bitterness. An acidity gives way to layers of citrus flavors.
Amante 1530 (15% ABV) is available at select retailers, bars and restaurants in New York for a suggested retail price of $34.99, with California and Florida coming soon.
