WORDS
Chris Madigan
When Giuseppe Gallo, a former bar manager turned brand ambassador for Martini, launched his first product, Italicus, in 2016, bartenders went crazy for the bergamot-flavoured liqueur that balanced citrus acidity with sweet floral notes and a touch of earthy bitterness. By 2020, it was such a hit that Pernod Ricard had made a partnership-level investment in the company.
Few realised that what Gallo had actually done was to revive an old recipe, rosolio, that was popular with the Medici in the 16th century. For his next brand, Savoia, he took inspiration from another great Italian family, the House of Savoy. Ironically, it was one of the Savoy dukes who effectively ended the popularity of rosolio in the 18th century by banning it from the royal household and incentivising farmers to grow grapes for vermouth.
It was Gallo’s research into the Savoy-sponsored general Garibaldi and his drive to unify Italy that brought up a nugget of information that fitted his thoughts about aperitivi: ‘I went back to my first love, wine aperitifs. Seventy to 80 per cent of what’s in a bottle is wine. But very few brands talk about what wine they are using.’
Gallo followed the historical breadcrumbs (or should that be biscuit crumbs in the case of Garibaldi?), ‘So, in the mid-19th century, you had Savoia controlling Turin, the Ligurian coast, into France, much of the Alps and Sardinia; Milan and Venice were part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, controlled by Austria; the Papal States controlled the centre of Italy and the Spanish Bourbons ran the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily. There was a Republican movement, led by Mazzini, which Garibaldi supported, and the likes of the Count of Cavour, working towards unification, but under a Savoia monarchy. But, in classic Italian style, they worked together. In 1860, as part of the Italian Wars of Independence, the Savoia gave Garibaldi two ships and 1,000 men and they sailed to Sicily, landing at a little port called Marsala.’

Gallo explains that when they got there, they had run out of red vermouth (don’t you just hate it when you can’t mix a negroni when you’re busy invading an island state?), so they filled the empty casks with the sweet local wine, which took on the red hue of the vermouth (and conveniently matched i Mille’s red shirts), as well as its bitter notes. Gallo says, ‘That is why we have added that Sicilian character to the classic Milano-Torino harmony, by using a DOC marsala wine, aged for 14 months in oak barrels.’
For Gallo’s latest product, Savoia Orancio, he has looked away from Sicily to the opposite end of the country and found inspiration in an even more famous Italian: Venice and Marco Polo. Orancio is named not after the flavour (albeit one of the botanicals is orange peel) but because this aperitivo is based on orange wine (or skin-contact white wine). ‘Again, we wanted there to be something special about the wine we use, and the rise of unfiltered, natural wine and orange wine – especially among bartenders – was appealing. The original wine, made in Georgia thousands of years ago, was skin-contact wine kept in amphoras. We source the best orange wine – aromatic, with a little citrus sharpness – from Abruzzo and Marche and blend that with Trebbiano [aka ugni blanc, the cognac grape] from the Veneto.’
Hence, the Marco Polo connection. ‘You cannot go to Venice without – well, without falling in love, for one – but also without feeling that Byzantine, Eastern influence. In the 13th century, this Venetian merchant spent 21 years travelling the Silk Road and brought back many spices and other ingredients – including pasta from China, by the way. So we have used exactly 21 botanicals, all of which Polo imported, including saffron, pomegranate, cinnamon, rooibos tea, lime and bitter orange.’
Savoia Orancio offers a vibrant alternative to the depth of the Americano Rosso, topped with a splash of soda or tonic, or mixed with sparkling wine (50:50) or gin (2 parts to 1 of gin, as it serves as both vermouth and bitter-sweet liqueur). It leans slightly towards the sweeter side of the amaro-dolce balance (where the Americano Rosso is slightly more bitter), but its poise makes it a great balancer in many cocktails – which is why bartenders like to experiment with it.
Gallo, the history nut, is not finished with drinks with a story attached. He mentions he is thinking about Dante Alighieri, Florence and juniper, and – as a resident of London these days – Roman Britain.
‘A friend of mine always says, “We are not drinking; we are learning.” There are two different types of brands: you have functional brands – something you drink for hydration or energy, for example. Then you have emotional brands. You don’t need to drink my brands. So, if you choose to drink them, I want to give you emotions, because they are not just liquids. And, because I am passionate about history – not only Italian history, but other countries too – I want to connect people to that history through a drink.’
Savoia Orancio and Americano Rosso (£20, 500ml) are both available at thewhiskyexchange.com and italspirits.com;casa-savoia.com