Salute!
Merry Holiday Drinking... I mean, greetings!, to you and yours.
As we enjoy the cheery midst of another festive Natale season, bountiful food obviously takes centerstage.
But any amazing meal must have amazing drinks. And thankfully, there’s a bevy of Italian and Italy-inspired offerings to suit any taste.
From an iconic Sicilian winery to a vodka inspired by idyllic Italian getaways and even some coffee influenced by the most iconic Italian desserts, here are the best things to drink this holiday season to truly embrace la dolce vita.
First, some wine:
Have you been to Sicily? If not, I would book a flight now, and here’s where you should eat while you’re at it. But whether or not you’ve explored the land of Mount Etna, Palermo, Marsala, and all of the other sites, you can bring Sicily to the dinner table right now.
Even though it was founded in 1983 (relatively recent when it comes to some other Italian wineries), Donnafugata has staked a claim as an iconic and beloved winemaking family in less than 50 years (as Appetito recently covered!).
With locations around the island (including the aforementioned mighty Etna), the brand is so quintessentially Sicilian, Netflix recently teamed up with them on a limited special edition of a wine in celebration of their adaptation of the iconic novel The Leopard (Donnafugata is the name of the protagonist's estate). They also released Mille e un Notte inspired by the novel. So, in essence, Donnafugata boasts wine that combines culture and heritage; two vital keys to understanding the magnifico country.
From the island of Sicily to the towering Dolomites lies another legendary winery. While Donnafugata may be relatively new, Mezzocorona has been around for over a century - 120, in fact. Located in the famed mountain range in the north of the country, the area boasts ideal winemaking conditions, from its sky-high peaks to its lowlands and river valleys. It’s those extremes that make an exceptionally good glass of wine. If you want to research it for yourself, check out the brand’s Dionette lip-smacking Red Blend, a combination of Teroldego, Marzemino, and Merlot grapes all aged in oak. Salute to that!
Bring on the cocktails!
Imagine a chilly Italian vacation: you’re somewhere in the Dolomites with a silk scarf wrapped around your neck, aperitivo bites surround you, and you're sipping a life-affirming Martini. That’s the ethos of Holiday Vodka, which founder Anna Goldman told Appetito all about earlier this year. She created the liquid with painstaking collaboration with Giancarlo Mancino, the stylish and well-respected founder of Italian liquor brands like Mancino Vermouth and Rinomato Aperitivo.
As a result, Holiday is far from Tito’s, considering it’s made entirely in the North of Italy, including Fonti Bauda’s pure alpine spring water and 100% soft Italian wheat from Piedmont, where it’s also bottled in a fourth-generation distillery. As Goldman told Appetito: “When you sip Holiday, I want you to feel as if time is slowing down and you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
New York Cocktail Company Negronis
As they tell it, the New York Cocktail Company is inspired by the Big Apple’s penchant for legendary bars and esteemed mixology known the world over. Considering many of us are merely amateur drinkers, we might as well leave it to the pros. This is where their scrumptious line of pre-batched cocktails comes in, including the Negroni: perfect for sipping on Christmas Eve or Day, or all year-round, while you’re at it. Best of all, it’s made with a mix of regional liquors: Brooklyn Gin, Faccia Brutto Aperitivo. Forthave Amaro, and Mancino Rosso Vermouth. Cheers, New York.
Can you see that shimmer and sparkle? No, I’m not talking about the lights on the tree. Rather, the drink of the summer, which has now staked a Christmas claim! Instead of the hassle of getting everything separately, why not combine them all? That’s the brilliant idea the Aperol folks had, in their trusty Spritz kit, which makes a neat gift, too.
Because nobody said you can only drink Aperol Spritzes when the sun is out. Why not sip ‘em when it snows, too?
Post-Dinner Sips
The liquor brand Luxardo has been an Italian icon since its founding in 1821. Based in Italy's Veneto region, you may know them best for their Maraschino cherries and their corresponding liquor. But one dark horse of the portfolio is their luscious Lemoncello, which comes in a long, slender bottle and is perfect to bring along for a Sunday dinner.
And since all of the best Italian restaurants give you a shot of Limoncello after your meal, why not replicate it at home? Take it from me: I’ve been throwing a bottle in my freezer and serving a frosty glass to wow my guests as a citrusy, sweet and boozy surprise. Salute to that!
The grand finale of any amazing Sunday dinner isn’t calling the Uber - it’s dessert, of course. Alongside your rainbow cookies and cannoli, people like to have a hit of caffeine before they hit the road. Enter Lavazza, the legendary Italian coffee company known for its energizing, smooth, and yummy sips, which are staples around Italy. (Have you seen their coffee-making vending machines around the old country? Enough said.)
While Lavazza is famous for its beans, including their Super Crema blend, which has notes of roasted hazelnut and brown sugar, they're also rolling out flavored K-Cups in the style of the most beloved Italian desserts. That means steaming Vanilla Affogato, Tiramisu, and Caramel Biscotti-flavored cups of coffee, straight from your K-Cup machine. It’s like being in a restaurant, but better, since you don’t get a bill afterward.
And, a jolly honorable mention
We had to shout out the new kid on the block. Cultivaro is the brand new Italian-style Amaro (by way of Arizona) founded by a bevy of movers and shakers, like fashion director of i-D magazine Clare Byrne, the photographer Thomas Giddings, and dancer Ryan Lawrence. Made with a mix of dates, oranges, pecans and pine bark, it’s meant to be a nod to the classic Italian amaros of back in the homeland. Mix it in with a Manhattan, Negroni, Spritz, or drink it by itself. Even the bottle itself, with its colorful & slick design, is a feast for the senses.
Enjoyed this article? Sign up for the Appetito newsletter and receive new recipes, stories, and Italian inspiration straight to your inbox.
