Amante 1530, a new amaro brand co-founded by music legend Sting, launched in the U.S. and Italy on Wednesday.
The release marks the Grammy-winner’s newest venture within the drinks space. He and wife Trudie Styler own Tuscany wine estate Il Palagio, and in June, Sting’s company Steerpike Limited applied to trademark a drinks brand called Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. The application included wines, liqueurs, cocktails, gin, rum, vodka, and more. Amante 1530, however, is entirely independent of his previous projects.
According to the brand, the idea for Amante 1530 originated nearly two years ago when Sting and Styler, welcomed friends to Il Palagio. Located in Figline Valdarno, the estate was constructed in the mid-1500s, and is famed not only for its celebrity owners but also its wine, oil, and honey production. While staying at the Italian villa, the group of friends — and to-be co-founders — discussed the possibility of creating a modern Amaro. After rounding out their team of entrepreneurs and investors, Amante 1530 was born.
“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 Ana Rosenstein, CEO and co-founder 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 recipe for Amante 1530 was developed by oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, a pioneer in the wine industry known for his work on Antinori wines and those produced at the Il Palagio estate. According to the brand, the amaro is medium-bodied and delivers aromas of candied orange, oolong tea, ginger, honeysuckle, and baked apples. The palate carries similar flavors with an underlying sweetness and amaro’s signature bitterness.
The brand says the name itself harkens back to the first night of the gathering at Il Palagio, when one of the guests pulled the lover card from a tarot deck. Viewing it as a sign, the founders named the product after the Italian translation for lover, amante, with 1530 paying homage to the year Il Palagio was constructed.
“Over the last 50 years we have seen significant growth in the amaro category, but little to no variation in it,” said Richard Kirshenbaum, co-founder of Amante 1530 and CEO of NSG/SWAT, a New York-based boutique advertising agency that represents the brand. “They 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 currently available at select retailers, bars, and restaurants in New York for a suggested retail price of $34.99. The brand plans on releasing their product in Florida and California next.
