Limoncello Pallini sells 2 million liters worldwide and wins a more than flattering 15% of the market share for this product. Relaunching these numbers is the Corriere della Sera, which, the day after Vinitaly USA, interviewed Micaela Pallini , at the helm of the historic family company (she has been CEO since 2013 and president since 2015) and, since 2021, also of Federvini (the first woman president of the association).

Pallini talked about how her brand has contributed significantly to the popularity of limoncello in the United States. " George Clooney and Danny De Vito helped us," recalls the owner of the historic Roman distillery. "The Italian-American actor showed up hungover on one of the biggest TV shows, The View. It was 2006, he apologized, saying that maybe the last seven limoncellos he had drunk the night before with Clooney had done him harm." So much so that, for a short time, De Vito himself "tried to produce his own limoncello, then gave it all up."

The Pallini distillery will reach the resounding milestone of 150 years next year. It was founded by Nicola Pallini , great-great-grandfather of the current owner, in 1875. An Abruzzese who moved to Rome, Pallini "sold fabrics and liqueurs in Antrodoco, exported chestnuts to Germany and imported coal", recalls his descendant.

The turning point came in the 70s, after about a century of activity, thanks to the export of Roman sambuca. Pallini still produces sambuca, although the brand was sold to a multinational and has now passed to an American group.

55 years old, married with two children, Micaela Pallini has a degree in chemistry and, initially, the family business did not seem to be in her horizons. A PhD in Italy and the United Kingdom seemed to open up an academic career for her, but she gave it up: "I understood that university bureaucracy would make my life impossible".

The degree in chemistry, however, played a decisive role in the family business. "First, I started experimenting with a new formula for limoncello," Pallini says. "There were technical problems to solve, from color to stability. I did test after test on infusions, calculating different times with the University of Naples. The goal was to produce a limoncello with a lower alcohol content, because we wanted the liqueur to be able to be used in cocktails as well."

Currently, the recipe for Limoncello Pallini calls for infusing the peels in alcohol, to which essential oil syrup and water and sugar syrup are added. In America, a colorant is also added, Pallini reveals. "A simple recipe, which is why new limoncellos are always being created."

The Pallini distillery buys lemons for its limoncello on the Amalfi Coast, all strictly IGP products. In Italy, half a liter of Pallini limoncello costs between 9 and 10 euros. In the United States, a three-quarter liter bottle costs 26 dollars. "Pre-Covid, we had a turnover of 13 million, this year we will reach 25 million with an estimated growth of 15%. Even if Germany has stopped", underlines Micaela Pallini .

Limoncello Pallini is sold in 58 countries, including, in addition to the United States, South Korea, Brazil and the Philippines. "In addition to airports, we supply military bases and cruise ships with cases of limoncello," says the owner of the distillery.