The story of Faccia Brutto, the Italian bitter that is a hit in the United States but unknown in Italy

What do writer Charles Bukowski, Italy, bitter, arugula, and Brooklyn have in common? Apparently nothing, yet there is an Italian-speaking common thread. In Brooklyn, there is constant talk of Italian bitters, thanks to Faccia Brutto, an all-American brand that produces Italian spirits. The idea belongs to an American chef, Patrick Miller, who for eighteen years ran the Italian restaurant Rucola, located right in Brooklyn.

Faccia Brutto, the all-American brand of Italian bitters

"I wanted to create something that honored the original Italian bitter brands here in the United States and the tradition of my family in enjoying these drinks," says Patrick Miller. His family hails from Asti and Genoa, and his love for Italian bitters began in the early months of 2010. After opening the Rucola restaurant in 2011, Miller started experimenting: "I tried making small batches of bitter cocktails at home on my days off," he says. The result was the production of a series of bitters that are now sold in 21 countries across the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica, with the desire to break into the Italian market as well: "We would love to sell in the Italian market!" he confesses.

The ironic names of Faccia Brutto

Patrick Miller, Faccia Brutto's owner

If there's one thing that stands out about this brand, it's the naming chosen for the bitters, such as Gorini and Fernet Plant: "Gorini is my grandmother's maiden name, and Pianta is my grandfather's surname. It's to honor them; they raised me," says Miller.

But what brings the most smiles is the deliberately chosen grammatical error in the name of the Faccia Brutto brand: "One of my old chef's wives used to call him 'faccia brutta' (ugly face), and I loved it. I knew it would become a memorable name, especially if I changed Brutta to Brutto. The concept is 'Ugly face, ugly grammar, beautiful spirit/bitter,'" he explains.

Communication is the strength of this brand, which, in addition to the attractive design reminiscent of certain 1970s spirit labels, has chosen to emphasize and captivate even more by printing a stylized caricature of Charles Bukowski's face on the label itself: "I love Charles Bukowski, and he was famous for being a drunk and frequenting bars," says Miller.

How the bitters are made

All the bitter recipes have been perfected by Patrick Miller himself, who now works with a team of three other people. The chosen ingredients are Italian and made with techniques from our own country. The ingredients, on the other hand, come from the surrounding area: wheat ethyl alcohol is purchased from the state of New York, and the botanicals from the rest of the world. All this to create bitters "blessed" by Nonna Benedetta!