Continuing De Kuyper’s signature collection of liqueurs made by top bartenders for bartenders worldwide, Acqua Bianca is created using natural ingredients such as lemon, bergamot, peppermint and rose, with essence of ambergris (a substance from the intestine of the sperm whale).
Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper Royal Distillers, said: “The co-creation of liqueurs with leading bartenders is a key pillar of our global strategy and an important part of how we want to innovate and lead and premiumise the liqueur category. We are very proud of this high point of our longtime friendship with Salvatore Calabrese and we are convinced that Acqua Bianca will revolutionise the liqueurs category.”
In the creation of Acqua Bianca, Calabrese is said to of revived and reworked a recipe taken from an antique book dating back to the late 1800s. He uses ingredients from his native Italy such as lemons from the Amalfi Coast and bergamot from Calabria, which sit alongside citron – one of the oldest varieties of citrus – from Asia. Calabrese also uses ambergris, which is more commonly used to add intensity and a longer-lasting fragrance to perfume.
The bottle design of Acqua Bianca, created by Salvatore’s daughter Francesca Calabrese and her design agency Five Foot Eight, resembles a book, with the label as the spine.
Salvatore Calabrese said: “My idea was to create something totally unusual that does not yet exist in the market. It had to be something very versatile – a liqueur to inspire new cocktails, and that is able to take the centre stage in any cocktail creation. Thanks to the expertise of De Kuyper’s Master Blenders, we were able to transform my idea into this masterpiece.”
Acqua Bianca has an ABV of 24% and is available in the UK from February 2020 via Cellar Trends.
