It started with a drunken bet over a bottle of champagne and became a business phenomenon.

Sammy Berry first became hooked on Tuaca while working at a ski resort in Colorado with her best friend Cassandra.

But when the pair returned to the UK they could not find the sweet and spicy nectar on sale anywhere.

Sammy's boyfriend Poul Jensen then wagered a bottle of Chrystal Champagne with Cassandra's brother to see which of the two would be the first to import a case of Tuaca into the UK.

Scrutiny of the bottle's label led Poul to an ancient family-run distillery in Tuscany, headed by Enrico Tuoni, whom he now affectionately calls The Don.

Poul, 38, said: "My mum speaks fluent Italian, so she called up and ordered a couple of cases.

"They were flown over by plane and cost us £466."

That was in October 1996 and the cases didn't last very long.

Soon after Poul and Sammy took over the St James Tavern in Kemp Town, Brighton, and the orders shot up.

Poul said: "It was phenomenally popular. People would come in just to try it.

"Before long, it was our best-selling drink, though by that time we had learnt to ship cases by lorry."

When the pair left the pub in 1999, they set up Danes Ltd - Poul is half Danish - and began importing Tuaca as a business.

Sammy, 33, said: "At first we had nowhere to store the cases, so they were piled up under our double mattress. There were hundreds of them.

"If you sat up too quickly, you would whack your head on the ceiling.

"We started going into all the pubs we could find and bringing in Tuaca for them to try.

"I think we got a lot of people interested because they could see our enthusiasm."

Off-licences, up-market bars and clubs proved more difficult.

She said: "To get your drink on every shelf in Britain of a chain like Threshers costs about £50,000. We simply can't afford it."

Despite the difficulties, demand for the drink steadily grew in Brighton and Hove.

Poul said: "In 1998 the only place you could get Tuaca was in the St James Tavern. Within a year it was in about 30 pubs. Now you can buy it in 95 per cent of bars, pubs and clubs.

"Local off-licences called us up because people kept coming in and asking for it. They would turn on their heel when they found it wasn't there.

"Our local Thresher was one of the first to stock it and then others heard about it. We'll soon be in every Thresher in Britain."

The pair, who still live in Kemp Town may have unorthodox business habits but they work.

Poul said: "We blagged it a bit to begin with. We told people we were the agents for the UK and The Don said he would pass our way anyone who wanted it."

Although the pair still work from a one-room office, they now use a couple of distributors to cope with demand.

A national deal with club chain Po Na Na is on the cards and another coup was getting Tuaca stocked in student union bars across the UK.

Sammy puts the couple's success down to being in Brighton and Hove.

She said: "Brighton is a unique place. I don't think we could have done it anywhere else."

One of the pair's most successful creations is the Tuscan Mule - Tuaca, ginger ale, fresh lime and ice.

Sammy said: "We developed it when we were in the St James because people kept wanting to buy us a drink and we were getting a bit sick of straight Tuaca."

The pair insist the drink appeals to everyone from 18 to 80.

Poul said: "Students like to do shots, you can add it to coffee and Tuscan Mules are popular on picnics and as a cocktail.

"Ladies that lunch tell us it's more refreshing than Pimms. My mum is 66 and she loves it."

The drink also has a growing celebrity fan base.

When Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, played his concert on the beach last year, Tuaca sold out in bars across the city. After the gig, Poul sent Norman and his wife Zoe some free bottles.

The next day he got a letter back from Norman saying he was "twackered" and how much he and Zoe loved the drink.

Jamiroquai's Jay Kay reputedly drunk Mad Hatters, made from Tuaca, by the dozen on Top of the Pops.

When Sammy and Poul sponsored the launch of the CD for Brighton's Hotel Pelirocco last month, Sara Cox ran over to an organiser to find out what the amazing drinks were.

Quite rightly, the pair feel things are finally beginning to take off.

Last year, Brown Forman, which owns brands such as Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort, became the American agents for Tuaca.

But Sammy and Poul are still the sole agents for the UK and two years ago they signed a five-year contract.

Poul said: "Some people think we're employed by Brown Forman and rumours have even gone round we've been bought out for £65 million, which we find hilarious, but we're totally on our own."

It may sound like a Brighton fairy tale but it has not been an easy ride.

Sammy said: "We've not paid ourselves since we started or had a holiday. We can't spare anything - whatever we make we put straight back into the business.

"We can't continue forever. At some point we want to get married or buy a house but for the time being we're giving it everything we've got to make it a success.

"The Don told us, 'Tuaca needs to meet the people. At the moment it's only a baby'. We think we've got it to toddler stage. It's up and crawling now but we have a long way to go."

The pair may have brought Tuaca to the people but like all the best drunken bets, Poul is still waiting for that bottle of champagne.