Faccia Brutto Spirits Fernet Pianta

Patrick Miller was raised in an Italian family in Los Angeles, and worked in restaurants throughout the world for 14 years before opening Rucola Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. As a child, he was strongly influenced by his Italian mother and grandparents, and inspired by family vacations to Italy’s Piedmont, Patrick decided to move on from Rucola and launch Faccia Brutto. Amari (bitter liqueurs flavored with botanicals) are popular throughout Europe, where they are often produced locally and sipped in cocktails or as after-dinner digestifs. However, they are not yet a mainstay of American restaurant menus, something Patrick is seeking to change in a market overflowing with craft beer. He and his team produce five different types of organic, Italian-style Amari, including the Fernet Pianta, named for his grandmother. A murky merging of bitter and sweet, this dark liqueur is made with herbs including gentian, chicory root, and peppermint, and features a defined bitter-cool herbal mint character. Perfect sipped as a digestif, it also is fantastic blended with coca-cola, Argentinian-style, or in hot chocolate!