Rapa Giovanni is one of Italy's most historically significant and least-known liqueur producers — a Piedmontese institution that has been making traditional Ratafià di Andorno since 1880 in the same small mountain town where the liqueur's legend was born over a thousand years ago. Founded by Giovanni Rapa — an eclectic sculptor and cabinet-maker who trained at Milan's Academy of Brera before devoting himself entirely to liqueur production — the distillery sits in Andorno Micca's Cervo Valley in the province of Biella, where it has remained unchanged for nearly 150 years. The word Ratafià itself derives from Latin meaning "to ratify" — and according to an 1848 account by author Angelo Brofferio, a black cherry Ratafià di Andorno once saved the town from the plague in the year 1000, bringing peace to warring families when sealed with a toast of the legendary liqueur. Recognized by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests as a traditional product of the Piedmont region, Rapa Giovanni's lineup spans the full breadth of Andorno's liqueur traditions — from the flagship Liquore di Ciliegie black cherry expression described as evoking old-fashioned black cherry soda and quantifiably tastier than most cherry liqueurs on the market, to the mysterious walnut Liquore di Noci harvested on June 24th's "Day of Enchantment," the bold alpine Liquore di Ginepro from selected juniper berries and rare spices, and the monastic-inspired Certosa that drinks somewhere between Yellow Chartreuse and Galliano. These are liqueurs that carry genuine history in every bottle — and almost nobody else in America carries them. Browse our full Rapa Giovanni collection with fast nationwide shipping delivered straight to your door.