The Italian amaro taking on the aperitivo category’s biggest name arrives in the UK, backed by one of the country’s leading distributors
Amante 1530, the Italian amaro born from a simple conviction that the spritz deserves better, launches in the UK this month following a distribution agreement with Maverick Drinks.
Amante 1530 is a new take on the classic amaro: less sweet, but not too bitter, with an elevated flavour profile built around Italian citrus, ginger, and honeysuckle. At 15% ABV, with roughly 25% less sugar than the category leader, the liquid holds its structure in a spritz and works across a broader range of serves, from short, stirred drinks to sipping neat.
The brand is founded and led by Ana Rosenstein, who left venture capital to build the elevated aperitivo she felt the category was missing. Since launching in the US in 2023, Amante 1530 has expanded into eight countries, doubling growth year on year, and was named Best Brand of 2025 by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.
The recipe was developed over two years with Riccardo Cotarella, one of the most renowned oenologists in the world, who made amari long before he made his name in wine. The liquid is made using all-natural Italian ingredients and produced at Pallini, one of Italy’s most historic distilleries, where the entire production floor is run by women.
The name came one night at a dinner among friends at Il Palagio, the Tuscan estate where the idea for the brand was born. A guest flipped the first card of a tarot deck: the Lover. Tarot itself originated in Italy in the 1500s, and Il Palagio was founded in 1530, giving the brand its name and its number.
“I have huge admiration for the brands that built this category,” said Ana Rosenstein, founder and CEO of Amante 1530. “Amante exists because the spritz most people drink hasn’t changed in years, and I believed drinkers were ready for something more elevated. There’s no better place to prove that than the UK, one of the most sophisticated drinks markets in the world. Our goal is to grow the pie, not cut anyone else out of it.
“From the beginning, I wanted to build a modern heritage brand. Something timeless, that looks like it has sat on the back bar for generations and will for generations more, but that speaks to how people drink now. Amante is nostalgic and romantic, but it’s also modern and fresh. And the liquid is far more versatile than people expect from the category: it certainly makes for a better spritz, but it also works in cocktails, and so many of our customers even sip it neat.”
“The spritz occasion has exploded in Britain, and the category has diversified with it. Hugo, limoncello, vermouth spritzes, they’ve all found an audience,” said Hannah Burden-Teh, Brand Manager at Maverick Drinks. “But the classic Italian bitter spritz, the one most people actually order, has never been seriously challenged. Amante 1530 is the first brand we’ve seen with the credentials to change that. It’s made by one of the most respected winemakers on the planet, bottled in one of the most historic distilleries in Italy, and the liquid speaks for itself the moment it hits the glass.”
Amante 1530 (RRP £20.95, 15% ABV, 70cl) is available now through Maverick Drinks for the on- and off-trade, and at retail via Master of Malt. Early listings include Gold in Notting Hill, where it pours as the house spritz, and Nobu London.
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