Three Questions for Matt Grant of Linchpin Amari 

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• Courtesy Of Katie Palatucci
• Matt Grant with a bottle of Linchpin Aperitivo

When Matt Grant was choosing a name for his amaro brand, he was drawn to the symbolism of a simple linchpin.

"It goes into an axle and keeps the wheels on, but it also means something that's vital to an organization," Grant, 42, said. "This is the thing that's going to keep your cocktail from falling apart."

Grant knows all about being vital to an organization. He's bartended at Burlington's Leunig's Bistro & Café for 14 years and has seen significant changes in the craft cocktail scene in that time. Snobby mixologists are a thing of the past, he said, and "there are so many more bottles to reach for now."

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• Courtesy
• Biglietto made with Linchpin Aperitivo

Many of those bottles are bittersweet liqueurs packed with herbs and botanicals. Originating in Italy, amaro — and apéritifs, such as Campari and Aperol — has turned global. Few local versions exist in Vermont, but Grant hopes to change that with Linchpin Amari.

Linchpin's first product, Aperitivo, is a low-proof, citrus-forward sipper with "the mere suspicion of bitterness," he said. It makes an easy swap for Aperol in a spritz but can also be sipped over ice or mixed into a perfect mezcal negroni.

In an arrangement known as "contract distilling," Grant makes his products at Shelburne's Wild Hart Distillery, under the mentorship of owner Craig Stevens. (Rectified Bourbon and Arcana Botanica Spirits also operate out of Wild Hart.) Aperitivo hit the shelves at 20 802 Spirits stores and several local restaurants — including Leunig's — in mid-January.

Seven Days sat down with Grant to learn about contract distilling, nerd out about amaro, and get a cocktail recipe or two (see online story). Cin cin!

SEVEN DAYS: Why did you decide to develop an amaro brand?

MATT GRANT: Bartending, I definitely saw that amaro was a trend. Before that, I had an interest in sweet vermouth. The first time I made one, I knew I wanted to have it on a shelf one day. But it's fortified wine, and the laws are convoluted. So that made it tough.

The base was just spirit, sugar and herbs. I tasted it and was like, "Man, this is good." And it's essentially amaro.

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• Courtesy Of Katie Palatucci
• Pallino made with Linchpin Aperitivo

SD: How does your relationship with Wild Hart work?

MG: It costs a lot of money to start a distillery. Craig [Stevens] has been fostering an incubator space for folks like myself. We start doing our own thing — with his guidance [on] using the tools, dealing with the paperwork and everything else that goes along with bringing this to bottle.

I have 20 years of bartending knowledge — it's not distillery knowledge, but we collaborate and bounce ideas back and forth. I don't know how lucrative this is for Craig, but it's priceless for me. I hope more distillers see that this is a cool, reciprocal relationship and follow the formula.

SD: What's the best way to drink Aperitivo?

MG: It's got grapefruit peel, rhubarb and a gentian back to it. Most people are going to drink it in a spritz. But it's the middle of winter, so I've been working on a hot toddy. You could even sub it for triple sec in a cosmopolitan — I made that for my mom. Start with familiar stuff, then broaden your horizons.

As a bartender, I have that option to play. My home bar is pretty extensive; I like picking out different cocktails and flavor profiles. I fail all the time, but not every time.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.