Their van guided them through fields of cultivated vineyards and past the 10th century remains of Rai tower, kicking up vineyard dust as it drove. They took a tour of the winery, saw the crushers, met the winemaker, Fabio, and at the end of their tour found themselves at a picnic table deep in the vineyards, surrounded by tall vines that were steeped in history.

The drinks: chilled white wine and prosecco.

The food: Fabio’s mother’s famous white vegetable lasagna. Then, a third drink was brought out: a bottle of vibrant orange liquid that glistened as brightly as the sun-dappled leaves.

The five friends met the drink with awe, recognizing it as Italy’s famous spritz, a citrusy aperitif that could be seen all throughout Roma’s piazzas and Milano’s trattorias. But here they were in the Veneto region, and all they could talk about suddenly was how can we get the spritz to America?

As they travelled through the Veneto region, they began to discuss the history and tradition of the spritz and the idea of having it on tap in America.

Amidst their discussion, the van stopped for food at Hotel Magnagallo. There, they sat down to a breakfast of croissants and espresso and met someone who would have a great influence on the spritz’ journey to America: Precious, the cat.

Precious looked more like a lion cub than cat, her big muscular shoulders reined in by a long leash so that she could wander the restaurant. The five friends quickly fell for Precious—not only did her roaming bring joy to the outdoor restaurant, but she was same bright orange color as the spritz!

After breakfast our driver Max was ready to depart when one of the friends, KG, was missing. He emerged from the hotel carrying his large duffel bag like a football. “Come on guys, let’s go, I’ve got Precious!” he joked.

Though Precious stayed at the hotel to oversee her restaurant, she became a figure of the friends’ continued brainstorming.

As their minds turned over with ideas about the spritz, they’d hear a rustle in the hedges or a sound in the back of the van and declare it was Precious, evoking her vivid orange fur everywhere they went.

From then on, the friends could only see orange: the tropical color of a lady’s purse, the flamboyant finish on a car, the fiery petals of a tiger lily.

The color orange followed them back to America as they brainstormed logos and marketing, and most importantly how to get Precious on the tap handle. Four months later, Casa de Elmo Pio, Spritz Italia was born, or as we say for short, Spritz Italia!

When the product came into fruition, the operators were impressed with our ability to capture the essence of the spritz in a keg. The first keg was opened at Beech restaurant in Jamestown, Rhode Island on New Years Eve, 2023, and we like to think that Precious would have loved to be there, roaming beneath the tables, flashes of her bright fur reflecting in the party lights.