160th birthday of the aperitivo icon: Global Vice President Victoria Morris about MARTINI

Since 1863, MARTINI has been synonymous with Italian craftsmanship, outstanding quality and excellent taste, putting it at the forefront of beverage and cocktail culture. An aperitivo without MARTINI is unthinkable. This year, the iconic brand celebrates its 160th anniversary with the campaign “160 Years of Italian Taste”.

In this interview, Victoria Morris, Global Vice President of MARTINI, explains the evolution of aperitivo culture throughout history and the key role MARTINI has played and continues to play. She also provides insights into the 160th anniversary celebrations and the current “160 Years of Italian Taste” campaign.

Ms. Morris, please introduce yourself briefly to our readers and tell us exactly what your role is at MARTINI.

Victoria Morris: I’m Victoria Morris, Vice President of MARTINI. I joined the BACARDÍ business nine years ago first as a Global Communications Director, then moving into the role of Vice President at Bombay Sapphire followed by my appointment as Vice President of MARTINI in August 2020. I love the versatility of my current role at MARTINI. It enables me and my fantastic team to lead all elements of the business from consumer insights and innovation to product and communications. We have a rich heritage always keeping innovation front of mind, as we look to drive the brand forward and appeal to a new generation of consumers.

160 years of MARTINI, how has the aperitivo culture evolved throughout history?

Victoria Morris: As one of the first aperitivo brands in the world, honouring this culture is important to us. Whilst aperitivo has evolved over the years, at its heart, it’s still about taking the time to indulge in the moment. Throughout MARTINI’s 160 years, we’ve evolved our portfolio to make sure what we are offering is relevant for the next generation of consumers.

To cater to these changing tastes MARTINI introduced ‘Fiero,’ a modern vermouth made specifically to be paired with tonic water, and MARTINI Non-Alcoholic ‘Vibrante’ and ‘Floreale’ to cater for those who want to enjoy mindful drinking. All three are designed to be served 50:50 with tonic water and lots of ice. Our aim is to preserve the special aperitivo moment for our consumers and continue to offer them something that feels high quality and innovative.

What role has MARTINI played and continues to play in promoting the Italian aperitivo tradition worldwide?

Victoria Morris: As an Iconic Italian brand, we’re passionate about keeping the spirit of aperitivo alive, as we’ve done for the last 160 years. Innovation is always front of mind, as we honour our past but look to the future, for our 160th-anniversary celebration we reimagined classic aperitivo cocktails with award-winning bartender Maura Milia to create seven new cocktails to celebrate 160 years of Italian taste. The new serves are designed to be a fresh and modern take on the classic MARTINI serves, with a mix of No & Low alcohol options to suit all tastes.

How does MARTINI plan to globally celebrate the 160th anniversary and involve its consumers?

Victoria Morris: This is a big year for MARTINI, we launched our ‘160 Years of Italian Taste’ campaign’ to honour the brand’s iconic milestone by bringing together our iconic heritage with our vision for the future. The campaign ‘opens the gates to the world of MARTINI’ for consumers across the world, drawing inspiration from our legacy. The campaign is live across the globe with a striking out-of-home, OLV, interactive Snapchat experience and engaging social content from our network of influencers.

This year we brought our 160th celebrations to Milan, hosting a two-week takeover of the Milan hotspot DAZI welcoming visitors for refreshing aperitivo, bartender takeovers and some incredible performances. We closed the space on the 5th of July with a host of stylish guests including the likes of Dakota Johnson, Lucien Laviscount who danced the night away to the sounds of Tannanai and DJ Mia Morreti.

What unique features distinguish MARTINI products from other aperitif brands?

Victoria Morris: The entire range of MARTINI products is linked through something we call ‘Martinity’ a harmony and balance across all our aperitifs, it ensures they never have a dominant peak of taste or smell, but are always a perfect mix of sensations, different and unique for each recipe. Each recipe has been perfected by our master blender, Beppe Musso, keeping in mind the distinctive MARTINI style.

For example, the formula of the gentle and floral MARTINI Bianco has been created to satisfy a gentler palate; MARTINI Dry has been perfectly aromatized for white spirits to create iconic drinks such as the martini cocktail. This legacy that makes each MARTINI expression unique is protected by both our Master Blender and our new Master of Botanicals, Alessandro Garneri. Their job is to protect and preserve our historic recipes and develop new aperitifs that feel fresh and exciting for consumers today.

What innovations and trends has MARTINI introduced to further develop the aperitivo culture?

Victoria Morris: It’s widely acknowledged that over the next few years, consumers are going to drink less, with a preference for quality lower ABV drinks. MARTINI is the complete bullseye for that change in consumer behaviour, the portfolio offers something for everyone. It has been a part of the no & low alcohol movement since the earliest 20th century when America introduced prohibition in 1920 and MARTINI created its first non- alcoholic vermouth.

In recent years MARTINI introduced ‘Fiero,’ a modern vermouth made specifically to be paired with tonic water, and MARTINI Non-Alcoholic ‘Vibrante’ and ‘Floreale’ to cater for those who want to enjoy mindful drinking. All three are designed to be served 50:50 with tonic water and lots of ice.

What is MARTINI’s vision for the next 5 to 10 years, and how will the company further strengthen its position as a leading aperitif producer?

Victoria Morris: Over the next five years, MARTINI is going to continue to be embedded in Italian culture. We want to be a premium iconic Italian lifestyle brand, worth over a billion dollars, with global relevance. As an Italian heritage brand, we’re passionate about preserving aperitivo culture for the next generation, whilst remaining at the forefront of innovation and developing new and exciting products that can be enjoyed by all. Everything we do revolves around the importance of great ‘Italian Taste’. It’s an absolute privilege to be part of such a significant and iconic brand and shape it for the future.

Ms. Morris, as the sun slowly sets on a beautiful summer day, what is your sundowner of choice?

Victoria Morris: A MARTINI Fiero and tonic!

MARTINI | Website

+++ We thank Victoria Morris for the open and very interesting interview! If you too have an interesting brand, then we should talk. Just send us an email with the subject “about-drinks interview” to redaktion@about-drinks.com – we look forward to hearing from you! +++