What do cricket and limoncello have in common? Until this year, not much. But Australian bowler Adam Zampa, known on Instagram as @limoncello.papi, recently invested in Ambra Limoncello. The brand was launched in Adelaide in 1998 by Libero De Luca and is claimed to be Australia’s first limoncello, using the zest of South Australian lemons.
The brand was then taken over by Nando Focareta and Peppe Fusco before ex-Bacardi executive Finn Healey joined as managing director in 2024. Today Ambra is sold in 1,200 venues across Australia and generated revenue of around AUS$3m over the past 12 months, also launching a crowdfunding campaign to enable exports to New Zealand, China, Europe and the US.
In a report by Drinkstrade.com, co-founder Focareta says: “We might be the overnight success that took 27 years, but this category is on a steep upward trajectory. Global demand for premium lemon aperitifs is exploding. Ambra is perfectly positioned to lead this movement not just in Australia, but on the world stage.”
In the same report, co-owner Fusco adds: “We are not a startup looking for validation. Ambra is a rapidly growing liquor brand at the centre of the hottest drinks trend in the world and it shows no sign of slowing down. We are inviting Australians to get on board now because we are going full throttle into massive expansion.”
The trend Fusco mentions is the Spritz. It’s not news to the trade, but the numbers support a continued rise for this style. In a report by IWSR in May, chief operating officer research & operations Emily Neill said: “The spritz serve momentum will benefit limoncello volume growth, with its repositioning as an aperitif that suits the drinking occasion.
“In turn, limoncello has opened the door for liqueurs to join the aperitif trend, and liqueur ranges and ʻother liqueurs’ are forecast to gain volumes as consumers explore different flavours.”
Ambra’s Focareta also told Business News Australia: “Right now we’re riding a global Spritz boom. Can you believe we sold over 500,000 Spritzes last year? This success brings us to capacity in our production and our venue, so we are seeking investors to help write the next chapter.”
Major markets
Zamora Company’s Villa Massa is one of Europe’s big limoncello producers. According to Zamora’s global brand director Priti Punjabi, Villa Massa sold 135,000 9-litre cases in 2024 and one of its four major markets is Australia. But the Spritz is again the focus.
Punjabi says: “We continue to drive leadership, particularly in the light of the new Limoncello Spritz trend that started in 2021, which completely changed a category that was largely flat for years.”
The Spritz movement has been in vogue for some time in Europe already, leading to some producers physically capturing the trend in bottle.
“The new Villa Cardea Elderflower Spritz has been recently created to answer the exploding global demand for floral, refreshing, low-abv cocktails, with the Hugo Spritz emerging as one of the most talked-about drinks of recent years in many countries,” says Elena Branda, marketing manager for Perlino.
“The aperitivo category has been growing at around 18% CAGR in volume, driven by the global success of Spritz-style cocktails.
“Villa Cardea Elderflower Spritz offers a light, floral and delicate aroma, with gentle sweetness and freshness – the perfect balance for mixing with prosecco, soda, ice and mint in a classic Hugo Spritz and a versatile profile that works in other long drinks and low-abv cocktails.”
For Villa Cardea, it isn’t just in the traditional markets such as Europe and the US where the brand is performing well.
Branda adds: “We see enormous potential for Villa Cardea in Latin America – consumers are curious about Italian lifestyle, cocktails and aperitivo culture. Our positioning – premium quality, beautiful Italian design and accessible pricing – is exactly what these markets are looking for.”
Mamma Mia Limoncello, which was launched in 2021 by Jean-Robert Bellanger, is based in Puglia and it too uses the Limoncello Spritz as its signature serve. In fact, it launched a 3-litre bag-in-box format to further capitalise on the trend.
A press release on the launch says the format is: “Designed for convenience without compromising quality, this packaging offers extended freshness, easy dispensing and less waste– perfect for parties and hospitality venues.”
Limoncino Bottega is yet another classic Italian brand showing strong sales performance. According to Giovanni Savio, press officer for the brand, it grew around 20% in 2024 on the previous year and expects to see “light growth” for 2025 over the same time frame.
The big innovation from Bottega came last year with the launch of Limoncino 0.0 Bottega, a non-alcoholic limoncello made from Femminello Siracusano and Verdello lemons. This launch appears to have kick-started a movement, with Antica Distilleria launching an alcohol-free version of its Petrone limoncello earlier this year.
According to the brand’s online blog: “The demand for non-alcoholic limoncello has grown over time and today represents an important challenge: maintaining an absolutely natural product, following the traditional recipe, but without the use of alcohol.”
As Villa Massa’s Punjabi notes, limoncello is a category which was largely flat for years. It was always reliant on shot culture and being poured over ice cream, but a combination of the Spritz movement and an interest in non-alcoholic alternatives has sewn new life into the sector.
It’s also promising to see interest outside Europe with the likes of Ambra thriving in Australia.
A separate report by Drinks International two years ago explored the growing number of brands emerging in California, while Villa Cardea’s performance in Latin America is another promising sign.
Whether we’ll see a New World limoncello category remains premature, but the signs are there, aided by the now global reach of the Limoncello Spritz.
