L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano B lack truffles and h a z e l n u t s , Rainier cherries and rosebuds, r h u b a r b r o o t and Willamette Valley hops. Although this may sound like a grocery list for your local farmer's market, you might be surprised to know these organic ingredients form the basis of a distinctive and sophisticated amaro, an Italian liqueur, produced by a S e a t t l e c o m p a n y c a l l e d Fast Penny Spirits. L a u n c h e d a b o u t a y e a r ago, Fast Penny currently m a k e s t w o a m a r i : Amaricano, with its aro- mas of toasted sugar and dark fruit, and Amaricano Bianca, which offers just a hint of candied lemon, saf- fron, apricot and chamomile. Both liqueurs sell for about $50 a bottle. Fast Penny was started by Jamie Hunt, who comes by her passion for food, wine and liqueur naturally. Her m a t e r n a l g r a n d p a r e n t s arrived in the US from Sicily in the 1920s—her grandfa- t h e r f r o m P a l e r m o , h e r g r a n d m o t h e r f r o m Caltanissetta. When she was a girl, Hunt would watch her grandparents and her moth- er make Italian liqueurs and wines. "It was just a normal part of my life," she said. "After I grew up, on trips to Italy, I would seek out amari to taste whenever possible." A s h a p p e n s w i t h m o s t entrepreneurs, Hunt recog- nized a need in the market- place for an American amaro that was made Italian-style. One spring evening in 2017, Hunt and her husband Jason were relaxing in a bar, sip- p i n g a n A m e r i c a n - m a d e a m a r o . " I t w a s g o o d b u t n o w h e r e n e a r a s g o o d a s what you get in Italy," Hunt recalled. "I remember talking to the bartender about his favorite amaro drink and asking for his recommenda- tions. From there, the idea j u s t s t u c k i n m y h e a d . I thought to myself: this is something I could really get passionate about." B y t h a t s u m m e r , H u n t had started researching and setting up her business while working full-time as a digital consultant. As if that weren't enough to keep her busy, the couple also has two children and an Italian truffle dog named Fiori. its grassy and floral charac- t e r i s t i c s c o m e s f r o m a Chelan County grower called Cyrus Saffon. Cocoa nibs add a nutty earthiness, sup- p l i e d b y S e a t t l e ' s T h e o Chocolate, and hazelnuts c o m e f r o m W a s h i n g t o n ' s Holmquist Hazelnuts. These and other ingredients, such as wild gentian, hops, dried Rainier cherries, rosebuds, rhubarb root and cascara, f i n d t h e i r w a y i n t o F a s t Penny liqueurs. The unusual company name comes from a bur- lesque act that Hunt created with a friend. Hunt's stage name was Veloce von Perla ( " v e l o c e " m e a n s " f a s t " i n I t a l i a n ) ; h e r p a r t n e r w a s called Centime Bijou, cen- time being an old French coin. Together, they spelled – what else? -- Fast Penny. By spring 2019, Hunt had acquired a business partner, H o l l y R o b i n s o n . Robinson's background in sustainable farming, hospi- tality and beverage was a great match. The pair rented, and later purchased, space for a distillery along Seattle's ship canal. They got their license, set up a website and social media channels, and i n J u l y 2 0 2 0 F a s t P e n n y Spirits was open for busi- ness. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , b y t h i s time the nation was caught up in the throes of the coron- Hunt wanted her product t o b e r i c h a n d b o l d , w i t h complex flavors culled from locally sourced and sustain- able ingredients. For more than two years, she blended and tasted hundreds of con- coctions, mixing and match- ing ingredients to find the perfect blend. Luckily, the Pacific Northwest is a region replete with small farms and l o c a l l y o w n e d b u s i n e s s e s that are just as picky about their products as Hunt is. About 45 different ingre- dients are included in Fast Penny's amari. There's black truffle with its intense and unique flavor, foraged in the Northwest through Truffle Dog Company. Saffron with avirus pandemic. The distri- bution plan that Hunt and Robinson had carefully con- ceived went out the window. "Holly had connections with distributors who were going t o p l a c e o u r p r o d u c t i n restaurants and bars," said Hunt. "But when the pan- demic struck, they were not taking on new brands. We had to pivot quickly to a self- distribution model and sell direct to consumers." T h a t m e a n t l e a r n i n g about consumer marketing, s h i p p i n g p r o c e s s e s a n d freight costs. To get noticed, Fast Penny started to collab- orate with other small, local- ly owned companies. Fair Isle Brewing used the amaro in a holiday beer; Bluebird I c e C r e a m w i l l p r o d u c e a n e w s u m m e r t i m e f l a v o r using the product. Hunt and R o b i n s o n a l s o p a r t n e r e d with small businesses spe- cializing in food items from p i z z a t o e m p a n a d a s w h o would stage pop-up events in the distillery space as a way to cross market. S u s t a i n a b i l i t y i s a n important concept to Hunt and Robinson. Fast Penny uses recycled glass bottles and reclaimed cork material to be more environmental friendly and create less of an impact on the planet. The company also donates 3 per- cent of its bottle revenue to support women-owned busi- nesses and nonprofits. Although open for only a year, Fast Penny is turning h e a d s . A m a r i c a n o a n d Amaricano Bianca both took gold medals in their category a t t h e 2 0 2 1 D e n v e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l S p i r i t s Competition; they earned more gold at the 2021 San F r a n c i s c o W o r l d S p i r i t s Competition. The product also took home an award in a blind tasting sponsored by SIP Magazine. As the one-year anniver- s a r y l o o m s , F a s t P e n n y hopes to throw an anniver- sary party to make up for the launch party they could not host in 2020 because of the pandemic. In the meantime, Hunt is busy working on a new amaro recipe that will showcase even more botani- cals and ingredients that are sourced in the Northwest. RITA CIPALLA Jamie Hunt, co-founder of Fast Penny Spirits, traces her family roots back to Sicily, where making wine and liqueur is a passion (Photo: Fast Penny Spirits) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY An American amaro inspired by Italian traditions

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