Rapa Giovanni

In an 1848 volume entitled Italian Traditions, author Angelo Brofferio tells the legend of a black cherry liqueur that, in the year 1000, saved the population of Andorno from the plague and brought peace to the region through the marriage of the liqueur-maker’s daughter and the son of his enemy. The union was sealed with a toast of ratafià, a word derived from the Latin meaning “to ratify.” Indeed, the word “ratafià” has been used for centuries to describe a sweetened spirit infused with fruit, and this mainstay of Italian drinking tradition has always been synonymous with the ideal of conviviality nurtured through the mutual enjoyment of spirits.

Giovanni Rapa devoted himself to the production of ratfià in 1880, founding his distillery in Cervo Valley in northeast Piedmont in the town of Andorno Micca, where Rapa Giovanni is still headquartered today. Passionate about plants, flowers, and aromatic herbs, Giovanni referred to historical ratafià recipes when creating a signature black cherry liqueur to exemplify the category (Ratfià di Andorno is now recognized by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests as a traditional product of Piedmont). Upon this foundation of tradition and quality, Giovanni created a larger line of liqueurs that are today essential cocktailing components and beautiful representatives of Italian drinking culture.