Spotlight: Rabitt Bitter by Robymarton Spirits
Rabitt is an additive and dye-free bitter with a distinctive colour and taste resulting from Red Radicchio sap distillation.
Radicchio Rosso crops appeared in Italy during the XVI century, a time when it used to be the food of humble people. Then, step by step it turned into one of the finest vegetables in the north of Italy. During the November hoar frosts, Radicchio bunches get cropped from the land. Straight after the harvest, before undergoing a fining process, its long leaves are rich in a bitter sap.
Rabitt is produced with natural ingredients only typically found in the Treviso area. In addition to no preservatives or colourants, Rabitt is allergen-free. The foam, which is usually due to the presence of albumin, is produced by some natural botanicals producing a foaming reaction.
“In one of the earliest memories of my childhood, I shove my hands into the pantry and I steal a bottle of brandy,” explains Roby Marton. “I was about three years old. Perhaps, even then, the smells of liquor and the vibrant colours dancing across the surfaces of the pot-bellied glass were calling to me. Today, I understand what they were born from, from my curiosity and the wonder of my childhood.
“Those treasures, secretly enclosed behind doors of dark wood, were already whispering about me, about what I would be one day but they were also whispering about my country, my roots. About my grandfather and his stories; about people coming from the north during the war bringing: dreams of eagles and claws; dark woods dotted with berries lustre; shrubs and razor-sharp leaves that pointed like swords; steaming dishes of grated horseradish in noisy taverns.
“About my father, who first wanted to get his hands into the dirty ground, to draw from the roots the odorous infonderne that is the essence of the spirit and enclose it within a casket of polished glass; to learn from the walls of an old distillery, where the keepers of ancient knowledge, since the memory of man, resided.
“Today is my turn: to reveal my spirits, to tell you this story once more. To invent a new language for a timeless story; a story about fate; a story about its land and its roots; a story that is waiting for you to listen…”
