That’s the spirit
A148-year-old Italian winery is suddenly hot in New York restaurant circles. Under new ownership, Contratto winery, which once supplied the Vatican with its house vino, is breaking into the city’s trendiest restaurants with its crimson-colored Aperitif and Bitter liquors — both lowalcohol, bitter spirits meant to be imbibed before dinner. Think of them as the hipper versions of long-popular herbal Italian aperitifs, like Campari and Aperol.
“Campari is one-note and dry, [a flavor] that everyone has grown accustomed to,” says Adam Schuman, spirits portfolio manager at Michael Skurnik Wines, which began distributing the Contratto bottles earlier this year. “Contratto [liquors are] a little softer and more delicate . . . and wildly complex.” They’re also natural, getting their vibrant hues from carrots and beets, not artificial coloring, like Campari does.
The FDA approved the spirits, which are based on recipes from the 1930s, for sale in the US this past spring. Now, the colorful bottles are popping up behind the bar at hot spots such as Laurent Tourondel’s buzzy new Midtown Mediterranean spot L’Amico; Huertas in the East Village; and Bushwick, Brooklyn, trattoria Faro.
Contratto Aperitif has just 13.5 percent alcohol, a soft tartness and subtle herbaceousness. Mixed with sparkling wine or club soda, it’s a refreshing way to start a night. The deep-magenta Bitter is 22 percent alcohol with a stronger, more medicinal taste, but it’s still an early evening sipper.
The spirits can also be used in more complex cocktails. At L’Amico, the Non Classico Spritz ($14) — with Contratto’s Aperitif and Bitter, vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, and grapefruit juice — has been a hit.
“It’s one of our top sellers,” says bar consultant Katie Stipe.