Campari Group Acquires Modern Bathtub Gin Brand Del Professore
The Del Professore gin range: Del Professore Gin Monsieur, Del Professore Gin Crocodile and Del Professore Gin Madame. (Photo: Del Professore)
Italian beverage company Campari Group has acquired gin and vermouth brand Del Professore, which first debuted in 2013, founded by Leonardo Leuci. Campari Group plans to bring the Italian spirit range to the U.K. on-trade, according to The Drinks Report.
“The addition of Del Professore to our Rare collection is one that complements our current portfolio, including those within the Italian Icons,” added Francesco Cruciani, managing director of Campari Group UK, per The Drinks Report. “Much like Campari Group, Del Professore is rooted in Italian culture and heritage, and sits within the heart of modern-day cocktail culture.”
Notable spirit brands Campari Group owns include Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Skky Vodka and Bulldog Gin. The beverage company’s other gin brands are O’ndina Gin, an Italian gin described as the “Spirit of the Italian Riviera”; and Bickens London Dry, a premium blended gin made in England.
“Del Professore is the culmination of my many years of dedication to the industry; I’ve spent my career mastering the art of mixology by learning from fellow bartenders around the world,” added Leuci, per the report. “I hope that this collection of vermouths and gins inspire bartenders around the world to continue to innovate and create cocktails with depth and meaning, while never forgetting the cocktail culture of the past.”
The brand’s portfolio includes vermouth and grape spirit-based, bathtub-stye gins distilled by Antica Distilleria Quaglia in Italy. The Del Professore range pays homage to Jerry Thomas (“The Professor”), an American mixologist known for reintroducing historic production methods to the modern bartending scene.
Inspired by the way gin was secretly home-brewed during the Prohibition era, modern-day bathtub gins (also known as compound gin) are produced using a botanical steeping method. The resulting spirit is rich in color and uniquely flavored, as botanicals are infused rather than re-distilled.
Del Professore Vermouth di Torino G.I. Ross is made from Italian wines flavored with a variety of herbal botanicals, produced in the same style of Italian vermouth found between the 1800s and early 1900s.
As for the gins, Del Professore Gin Monsieur, inspired by Thomas himself, is made using lavender, lemon, orange, rose, juniper, chamomile and angelica while Del Professore Gin Madame is inspired by Thomas’ wife and includes juniper, cloves, cinnamon, tansy, vanilla and zedoary.
The final expression, Del Professore Gin Crocodile — both an Old Tom and bathtub gin — is made with coriander, allspice, vanilla, elderflower and juniper. The gin references Thomas’ time spent traveling overseas as a musician.
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