Bologna, 11 December 2023 - Dry Gin and Special Cherries (Ciliege Speciali): the two exceptional ingredients of the cocktail that triumphed at the IBA World Cocktail Championship in Rome.
They were chosen by Leo Ko, a bartender originally from Hong Kong, who won the world title in Rome with his drink Come to Connect, which features 45 ml of Fabbri Dry Gin and a garnish of Special Cherries.
"We are proud of this result, which comes exactly one year after the debut on the Italian market of two products that are part of our heritage," said Nicola Fabbri, CEO of the Bologna-based company and head of the beverage unit, celebrating with 40 years of AIBES membership in Rome. "Our compliments to Leo Ko, whose choice demonstrates the popularity our products enjoy on eastern markets, but above all the immediate impact both our Gin and Special Cherries (Ciliege Speciali) have had on bars worldwide, starting with Italy. This makes us very happy".
Dry Gin as well as the Cherries made their debut exactly one year ago, revisiting two recipes from the 1930s of the then 'Premiata Distilleria G. Fabbri'. And over the course of this year they have gone from strength to strength. Our Dry Gin in particular sold out almost immediately after its launch due to requests from bar international professionals. It also won bronze for packaging at Gin Day, thanks to its bottle made by Vetreria Etrusca, a faithful reworking of the 1930s bottle, inspired by the city of Bologna and its Unesco Heritage porticoes. This packaging is now in the running for the prestigious Compasso D'Oro award for the "careful recovery of stylistic elements of the early 20th century, reinterpreted in a modern key".
Fabbri Gin is an update of the original recipe with pure Amarena Fabbri distillate, which makes it unique in the panorama of spirits. In fact, the soft and fruity note of Amarena Fabbri enhances the herbaceous and spicy notes of the botanicals typical of gin. It is a dry distilled gin, meaning that the individual 100% natural botanicals (juniper berries, bitter orange peel, angelica roots, coriander seeds, cardamom, liquorice root) are distilled individually. Then follows the ‘marriage’, a resting period during which the individual molecules 'embrace' each other. At this point, the Amarena Fabbri distillate is blended, which the company extracts 'in purity'.
Developed to enrich Fabbri Gin-based cocktails, a product born in the same years as the first Gin: the "Special Cherries" (Ciliege Speciali). Special because they are naturally red and juicy. They contain no additives or colouring agents and their vivid colour is obtained solely from vegetable juices extracted from 100% Italian fruit.
Fabbri Gin and Special Cherries (Ciliege Speciali) were also central to the finalists' creations in the Lady Amarena Italia 2023 Competition on 29th November. Winning the title, the only international one of its kind dedicated to barladies, was 30-year-old Francesca Aste with her Banksy Martini, a Fabbri Dry Gin-based cocktail with a low alcohol content, perfect to enjoy as an aperitif or after dinner, inspired by the famous mural depicting a little girl chasing her red balloon.