Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/142283
The Love of Lady Lillet by Rachel Burkons / photos by Jeremy Ball A s we sit in the rooftop garden at West Hollywood, CA's Petit Ermitage Hotel, Amanda Boccato excitedly points out that hummingbirds roam the grounds here. With an elegant flick of a lithe limb, she looks as if she's about to burst into song as bluebirds drape garlands of flowers around her. "You look like Snow White!" I tell her. "I love her!" she excitedly, earnestly replies. But this is no ingénue Disney princess act. Rather, Amanda's effervescent personality is as genuine as they come. "I wake up every morning and fall in love with something new," she says. "Whether it's the muffin I had for breakfast, a cute pillow, or a perfect lemon. That's what Lady Lillet and I have in common," she continues, referring to her alter-ego, who acts as Brand Ambassador for Lillet, the line of French apéritifs. "We share a common whimsy and search for magic in the everyday." The line between Amanda and Lady Lillet is indeed a little fuzzy. Amanda's the one who garnered serious mixology chops working at NYC's Pegu Club at the tender age of 21 before going on to help open mixology-mecca spots like PDT and Dutch Kills. Lady Lillet was born in 2011 when Amanda was appointed to the Brand Ambassador position to oversee the classic apéritif. "I felt it was very important that we had a footprint on the internet," she explains, "so I wanted to create a persona of sorts. And then Julie Reiner introduced me as Lady Lillet on a microphone in a room full of people, and that was it. The rest is Lady Lillet history." Lady Lillet is determined to bring the apéritif back to life in the U.S. Here is her favorite way to drink the French quaff: "Lillet on ice, with a slice." july 2013 / the tasting panel / 63 TP0713_034-65.indd 63 6/24/13 5:41 PM