A Drink With… Amanda Boccato, Lillet

Amanda Boccato, aka Lady Lillet, is brand ambassador for Lillet and on a one-woman mission to change the way the US drinks aperitifs. She reveals her plan of attack to Becky Paskin

Amanda Boccato, aka Lady Lillet, is promoting the aperitif as an ‘elegant’ serve

The second US National Aperitif Day organised by Lillet is on its way. What are you organising to celebrate it in the States?
National Aperitif Day falls on the third Thursday in May from now on, so this year it’s 16 May. As a company well be activating different sorts of “Elegant Hours” nationwide, which is a new term we’ve coined to bring attention to aperitif culture in the US. They will include different offerings like aperitif hours at highlighted bars specifically throughout New York and San Francisco, which are our main targets. We recently partnered with a blow dry salon franchise called Dry Bar to bring Lillet and aperitif hours to their clientele, so I personally will be hosting an event at Dry Bar in Gramercy, New York.

It sounds like your Elegant Hours are exclusively targeted at women?
I don’t want to exclude men at all. Men who are willing to try something that’s more feminine are very welcome to try the Elegant Hour approach. Lillet’s core audience has varied through the times and I wouldn’t like to say it’s male or female overall. It’s aimed at someone who appreciates lighter daytime drinking, something you can drink for a longer amount of time without being irresponsible.

Is there much of an aperitif culture in the US?
Aperitif culture has up until recently been a forgotten culture staple from yesteryear in Europe, but by appointing Elegant Hour we’re hoping to bring it back. We’ve actually spearheaded the recent aperitif resurgence in the States. When consumers hear the word “aperitif” I want them to associate it with Lillet. So far we’ve seen the aperitif culture come up and really start to grow with Lillet at the forefront in places like Texas, Florida, California, Chicago, New Orleans and Las Vegas.

What about bartenders? Are they using Lillet as an aperitif?
In the past I found that bartenders were more keen on using Lillet as a modifier in cocktails, however I do find that bartenders in the States have often forgotten what Lillet tastes like on its own. So I’ll often do a tasting for them with our classic serve over ice with an orange slice and they are very surprised to come back to it. That’s my job; I want to remind people that they can still have an aperitif, something so simple. You don’t have to over think it.

Lillet is a brand with such a rich history. Do you find people dismiss it as a tired brand?
The modern consumer really does appreciate a brand with a rich heritage. Lillet is a brand that dates back to 1872 Bordeaux and to be able to say that we’ve been made the same way since day one and we come from such a great region using such quality ingredients is something that I capitalise on. We’ve had bigger moments in time, for instance the Vesper cocktail was a very big moment for us in the 1990s, but we’ve changed. We’re now trying to bring back aperitif culture. That is our major goal now.

You’re one of the only brand ambassador’s we’ve come across that has her own alter-ego. What is Lady Lillet all about?
Really Lady Lillet was a concept I coined about two years ago that felt very natural to me. My mother recently asked me where this Lady Lillet character came from, but it was just an idea I had that’s really caught on, and I’m really happy to say it’s been successful thus far. The idea is that anybody can be a Lady Lillet. She is somebody that appreciates the joie de vivre in life, can drink elegantly, chases sunsets, loves to have picnics, and someone who appreciates living in the moment and having great conversation with her friends. Lady Lillet can be any of those things at any given time.

You’ve also worked with Grand Marnier and Cointreau in the past. What is it about French spirit brands that attracts you?
It’s the heritage I love; brands that have a strong lineage and family heritage. Both Cointreau and Grand Marnier are brands that have survived the test of time and to me that authenticity is very interesting when dealing with a spirit today. I, unlike these spirits, don’t have an authentic French background – I’m a New Yorker born and bred.

Is there life after Lady Lillet?
My goal would be to perhaps work with a winery. I would also like to work in my same field of French spirit marketing, which I love, but a long term retirement plan could be to work in a winery, not far from a coast somewhere; that sounds like something very relaxing. But this might all be because I am studying wine a lot this month! I might still want to be an astronaut next month.