IESSI begins as a story of family traditions. It was during long summers spent with my nonni in Udine, a small city in northeastern Italy nestled between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic sea, that I first came to love the aperitivo: Chinotto, Crodino, mountains of chips served in the cafés in Piazza San Giacomo – and, of course, the classic Campari spritz. 

It was also in Udine, in my nonna’s kitchen, that I first learned to make her famous amaro — an after-dinner digestif made by macerating local herbs and roots in alcohol, and served ice cold in tiny eau-de-vie glasses. Later on, I continued to make her recipe, but also to tinker: experimenting with the ingredients at hand, incorporating new touches. 

At the same time, my own relationship to drinking began to evolve: I was craving the rituals of the aperitivo moment, and the pleasures of its deep, complex tastes, but not necessarily the alcohol itself. 

And so, I knew I had to recreate this unmistakable flavor, just without alcohol. In Trieste, a small, family-run distillery agreed to take on the challenge. After nearly a year of experimentation, we managed to transform this liqueur into a distinctive and unapologetically alcohol-free apéritif. 

We launched in France at the end of 2023. Now, we’re a small, passionate team, proud to be bringing our alcohol-free apéritifs to the most discerning restaurants, cocktail bars, shops and more across Europe — and, most importantly, directly to anyone who loves bittersweet tastes as much as we do. 

Santé!