The advocates of extraordinary spirits, Proof & Company, continues to enrich their portfolio with a new spirit partner Amaro Lucano, a beloved Italian brand which boasts a herbaceous array of premium liqueurs.
The exclusive agreement was cultivated off the back of the Mancino Vermouth and Amaro Lucano merger (2021) in recognition of the Proof & Company relationship with Giancarlo Mancino and the distributor’s efforts and brand growth in the APAC region, with a key focus on the on-trade luxury market.
Of the new partnership, Paul Broadbent, CEO Proof & Company says, “The Vena family lives and breathes the Lucano brand, and their timeless statement, “What more could you want from life?” resonates with Proof & Company’s passion for being “advocates for extraordinary spirits”. This is a wonderful partnership, and we look forward to taking Lucano to more bars, restaurants and retailers across Singapore, Hong Kong and then China.”
Amaro Lucano 1894 (28% vol) consists of a meticulous (and family secret) blend of more than 30 specially selected herbs, which characterises its strong and delicately balanced flavour. The herbaceous mix provides an aroma of pine, lavender and citrus notes, with a gentian bitterness, a balanced sweetness, spearmint freshness and mild spice upon sip.
The versatility and fragrant nature of this bitter, before only known as an Italian aperitivo and (more often) digestiveo, is fast trending in the cocktail scene, with bartenders introducing the spirit into classics with a twist or new bitter-sweet concoctions.
“Through our partnership with Proof & Company, we look forward to strengthening our presence in Asia, as well as sharing the brand story with the incredible bar industry and consumer communities,” said Leonardo Vena (CEO and family owner).
28 Hong Kong Street, an OG in the Singapore cocktail movement, and an advocate of the brand, has already introduced Amaro Lucano into their cocktail offering; “Amaro liqueurs offer the modern bartender a delicious opportunity to introduce guests to a wonderful myriad of herbal, floral and fruit flavours. The bold, medicinal profile of these traditional liqueurs means they are great to sip on, or to use as a base in a highball or spritz. Meanwhile, the complexity of amaro means they are great to use as an accent in classic cocktails, and the wide range of flavours and aromas make amaro products like Amaro Lucano perfect for signature, original cocktails.” Jason Williams, 28 Hong Kong Street.
Other simple ways you can serve include, an Amaro Negroni, a Lucanian in Manhattan and a Lucano Cup.
Rich in taste and in history, The Amaro Lucano story begins in Pisticci, at the end of the 1800s. It was here in this small Lucanian town in the province of Matera, where Pasquale Vena, a confectioner with a passion for herbology set out to create the perfect liqueur.
In 1894, after much trial and error, and many concoctions of different herbal combinations, he finally found the ideal blend that would become Amaro Lucano – a now secret recipe of more than 30 carefully selected herbs, that has been passed down from Vena generation to generation.
Proof & Company will be distributing three Amaro Lucano spirits, all of which are gluten-free; the Amaro Lucano Classic, the Anniversario, a prestigious version to celebrate the company’s 120 years, and the Essenza, a new blend which set out to bring the amaro closer to the world of enology and refined for 12 months in oak barriques used to age Italian Grappa.
In the spirit of Amaro Lucano, “Cosa Vuoi di più dalla vita?” (what more could you want from life?)
