The Italian Trade Agency’s Spirits Promotion Project, in its second year, aims to boost sales by educating the bartender community about the diverse spirits Italy has to offer. Livio Lauro, a Spirits Expert for the Italian Trade Agency’s project, tells Italianfood.net: “Giving the bar and specialty liquor store community this knowledge allows them to share their appreciation of the brands. Education allows the bartender to express their creativity through the creation of new cocktails, and the liquor store steward the know-how to present these brands to their customers; this, in turn, helps the bar business too.” Lauro is the host of his own YouTube channel, “Master your Glass”. The Spirits promotion project is also hoping to expand the palette of the American consumer to new flavors and share the history and traditions behind Italian brands.
As a category, the Italian spirits saw a drastic low number of sales due to the pandemic and tariffs. IWSR, the leading source of data and analysis on the beverage alcohol market, reports Italian spirits volume in the US grew by +17.5% in 2019, and by +3.6% in 2020 As of now, IWSR, does not yet have forecasts for 2021 for this category. Pre-Covid, Italian spirits were growing steadily in bars and restaurants, but of course, that volume fell off in 2020, IWSR told Italianfood.net.
Lauro is optimistic for the future of Italian Spirits. In March, the tariffs got suspended. And the economy is opening back up. Lauro sees bars as the best market for Italian spirits. “Bartenders have the proper opportunity to stimulate their guests to try new things and recommend an Italian spirit that may have never been on their radar. Bartenders can also introduce Italian products by starting with categories that are more familiar to the consumers’ taste: there are some interesting vodkas and gins Made in Italy that can be a good conversation starter.” He added food-centric restaurants are a perfect home for Italian liqueurs as they are designed to enhance the dining experience.
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ITALIAN SPIRITS IN THE WORLD
What’s the most popular Italian spirit? Lauro tells Italianfood.net, probably Amaretto and Limoncello. He also noted, Bitters and Amari, which are best enjoyed during Aperitivo, are also rising in numbers.
Grappa still hasn’t found its ground in the US market, says Lauro. But it has potential room for growth because it is great in cocktails and makes for a great after-dinner drink.
Lauro offers his expert advice for Italian spirits looking to grow in the US market, partners with American mixologists to properly teach them how to present their product to the market.
Elena Isella